Red DevilsSeveral Red Devils have said in recent days that Thierry Henry (45) would be a good national coach. The Frenchman himself has already informed the union informally that he is open to the job.
Henry has been in his second term as assistant coach of the Red Devils since 2021. He was already on the staff between 2016 and 2018, then mainly in a supporting role. Then Henry tried – unsuccessfully – as head coach of AS Monaco and Canadian Montréal. Monaco fired him after three months. At Montréal, Henry himself resigned after 29 matches, winning nine and losing sixteen. Reason: He wanted to be closer to his family. They now live in London – easily accessible from Brussels.
Henry is not a high earner with the football association. In his first period he received about 100,000 euros a year. Those pennies went entirely to charity. The Frenchman earns much more from his work as an analyst. Sky paid him about 5 million euros a year for his analyses. Now he works for CBS, where that amount is reportedly lower.
But it may be clear that Henry will have to add water to the wine to also get started as national coach. Roberto Martinez earned – including bonuses – about 3 million euros a year. Martinez was also technical director. The next national coach will almost certainly fall into a lower salary category.
That wouldn’t deter Thierry Henry. According to our information, the ex-Arsenal and Barcelona player is definitely interested in the job. He has already informed the federation informally, without officially applying.
‘On the record’ Romelu Lukaku and Toby Alderweireld are already positive about him. The question is whether that opinion is shared by everyone in the dressing room. Henry commands respect through his successful past as a player. His self-confidence is sometimes very high. And part of the player core can’t assess Henry very well as a trainer either. Partly because in his current role he is mainly concerned with the strikers. But also because his two spells as head coach were so short-lived.
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Do Lukaku and Alderweireld rightfully move Thierry Henry forward as the new national coach? Partly, but there are also question marks
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