Thierry Henry gives verdict on succeeding Mikel Arteta as next Arsenal manager

Former Arsenal star Thierry Henry has given his verdict on whether he would like to be the manager of the club one day in the future. It comes as the Frenchman has stepped into the next journey of his coaching career as the head coach of the France under 21s national team.

The 46-year-old had an illustrious playing career, becoming a star for Monaco, Arsenal and Barcelona in an 20-year time frame that saw plenty of goals along the way too. In 254 appearances for the Gunners, Henry scored 174 goals, becoming one of the most clinical forwards in the country.

In terms of honours, with Arsenal he won three Premier League titles and two FA Cups, along with a World Cup, two La Liga titles, a Champions League title and several other trophies. His playing career ended in 2014 with the New York Red Bulls, with a short spell before his next adventure started.

In 2016 Henry began his coaching as he joined Belgium men's national team as the assistant coach, overseeing two-years before making his next move. That would be a return to AS Monaco, where his playing days started, but that tenure would only last one-year.

A two-year spell with Montreal Impact would then see Henry return to the Belgium national team as the assistant once more for a short spell. With that ending last year, the former forward jumped at the opportunity to become the head coach of France's under 21s team.It shows that, despite often being in the public eye with his punditry work, there is still a clear desire to coach at the very highest level. But there are still questions over whether he would one day be in the dugout at the Emirates Stadium, leading out his beloved Arsenal once more.

It would see a similar route to that of Mikel Arteta, who had spent time coaching elsewhere before finally returning back to the Gunners, with the aim of leading them on to glory. Henry was coy in suggesting he may one day want the role, given previous discussions.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, he said: "It will make headlines! One time, I was stupid enough to say it’s the dream of any fan. They said Thierry Henry wants to be manager of Arsenal."

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards then quizzed him further on the chance to return to Arsenal, to which Henry replied: "It’s very difficult for me to say that because when I say something about Arsenal, it goes places. I have mad respect for Mikel. He’s done extremely well in the last two years. I have realised when it comes to talking about coaching, talking about Arsenal… I have too much respect for the overall situation.

"Otherwise, Mikel will be asked, ‘Thierry Henry said…’ – you don’t need this type of question in a press conference. We don’t need to do that!"