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Thierry Henry was recently unveiled as the new manager of AS Monaco. The French club is one which he holds close to his heart, as it's where he first began his career. Starting off as a youngster in the heart of Monaco, he was soon picked up by a certain Arsene Wenger. And the rest is history.
He went on to be the top goalscorer in Arsenal's Invincibles season. For 49 games, the Gunners went undefeated; a feat which has been matched by no other English club since. He is now widely regarded as one of the best players to ever grace the English soil, and it's not difficult to see why.
He aims to get into management. This was seen by his desire to take on the Belgium national team as an assistant coach. He had previous opportunities to get into youth management with Arsenal, however, he felt like he wasn't the right man for the job at the time. He may eventually return to his old stomping ground one day.
For now, he returns to his boyhood club, with a clear vision in his mind. With that said, the four main reasons we should be looking forward to witnessing Thierry Henry manage Monaco are:
#1 He has fresh enthusiasm
While he wasn't the manager of the Belgian National side, he certainly played his part. He was the assistant to Roberto Martinez, and it looked like the attackers learned a lot from his inputs and experience. Let's not forget that Thierry Henry's Belgium recently found themselves in the World Cup semifinals. They ended up finishing third in the competition, by beating England in the playoffs.
It's no surprise that Eden Hazard is now going on to win the player of the month award in the Premier League, being the current top goalscorer. Monaco fans can take immense pleasure in this, as there are a lot of players in their ranks who will benefit from the fresh approach to management. As we've seen in the past, the Monaco players tend to react well when they are able to express themselves freely and the manager gives them a conducive environment to do so.
#2 A young squad full of potential
Of course, There is no need to justify why fans should be looking forward to watching Monaco strut their stuff. They have a lot of young and upcoming players who always excite their fans and the world. Working with someone like Thierry Henry is only going to make them even more confident, and Monaco fans will hope this transcends onto the pitch.
As mentioned previous, Henry knows what it's like to be coming through the ranks in France, and he knows exactly what it takes to succeed in the beautiful game.
A lot of these young stars will have grown up watching Henry go about his business in the Premier League, tearing the English defenses apart. Many of them being French, they will have felt a close connection to the star growing up, and now they have the opportunity of a lifetime to learn from their idol.
As long as they don't let their egos get to them, and they listen to the advice of their new manager, then who's to say they can't go out and impress the world again? We saw it with Kylian Mbappe and many such impressive youngsters may follow in his footsteps. Aleksandr Golovin is one, in particular, to look out for, but there are many other starlets at Monaco's disposal.
#3 Connection with his boyhood club
Few clubs have a special place in Thierry Henry's heart, Monaco is certainly one of them. Legends of the game often look back at their first club with huge gratitude, because without them, they may not have made it.
Monaco made Henry the player he was. He was known for his speed and intelligence; both of these are qualities which are needed to be a world class winger, which is the position he started with at Monaco. That said, you could credit his striker's instinct to his work out on the flanks.
He was a very early World Cup winner, similar to Kylian Mbappe. This was again thanks to Monaco, as his breakthrough encouraged the French national team to give him a call for World Cup 1998. Now, 20 years later, he will hope to give another youngster the same feeling. It all works in such sweet harmony!
#4 He has a point to prove
When he turned down the managerial opportunity at Arsenal some years ago, many deemed him as being unfit for the managerial world. He chose to become a pundit, even after being given the choice of the two by Arsene Wenger.
He was also linked with the job when Wenger announced his departure, but obviously, we all know that Unai Emery was the man to claim the opening.
With Monaco, he has a chance to prove himself. While he obviously won't look at the Arsenal fans with bitterness, he will be hoping to put a smile on their faces and prove them wrong if and when his side encounters Arsenal.
Who knows? He may even take over at the club he professes to love sometime in the future. But for now, he is a Monaco man, and the fans of the French giants will hope it remains that way. It will take a lot to beat Paris Saint-Germain to the title anytime soon, but if anybody knows how to dominate a league, it's Thierry Henry.
