Thierry Henry begins coaching role at Arsenal, confirms Arsene Wenger
The former Gunner has been tipped to one day become the club's manager
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Your support makes all the difference.Thierry Henry has begun coaching at Arsenal with a view to earning his coaching badges, Arsene Wenger has confirmed.
The former striker has long been tipped as a future Arsenal manager and confirmation that he is coaching the club's youngsters will be viewed as his first steps to doing so.
Josh Benson, a player for the Gunners' Under-15s side, revealed on Twitter yesterday that he and his team-mates had been coached by the Frenchman who is also working as a pundit for Sky Sports since hanging up his boots at the end of the last MLS season.
"Thierry Henry is making his first steps as a coach," Wenger told reporters today.
"It's good for our youngsters to be coached by him. He's been here once or twice. All our former players are welcome to come back here and get their coaching badges. We're happy to have him."
The news will come as little surprise after Wenger said late last year that it was "not impossible" that Henry could take up backroom role at the Emirates.
Wenger certainly believes Henry, who is Arsenal's all-time leading scorer, is capable of turning his hand to becoming a manager.
"Has he the quality to be a manager? Yes... but he has to decide to sacrifice his life," Wenger said last year.
"When you're a player, you think it's so simple to be a manager. When you are a manager, you think it's so complicated suddenly and if you're not prepared for that you cannot survive.
"One quality that you need is resistance to criticism when you feel it's not justified. I don’t know how he’ll handle that.
"He has to learn the job first. I have seen so many who have the qualities and they have not survived their first job because they are not ready."
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