Wenger – Henry Will Certainly Be Back At Arsenal in Some Role

There is no doubting Thierry Henry to return to Arsenal at some point, according to Arsene Wenger.

The 37-year-old Arsenal legend announced yesterday he will leave Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York Red Bulls at the end of his contract and is considering his next career move.

Speaking in his pre-match conference ahead of Southampton’s visit to the Emirate Stadium on Wednesday, the French boss said: “He (Henry) is an Arsenal man – the best moments of his life and career have been experienced here.
Henry
“Certainly one day he will come back here. In what role I don’t know, that is what he has to think about: what direction he wants to give to his next life.”

Henry won two Premier League titles with the Gunners during his spell at the north London club, spanning between 1999 and 2007. He returned to Arsenal on loan in 2012 and featured in four matches, including a substitute appearance in an FA Cup third-round win over Leeds, where he scored the match-winning goal.

In an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe last month, the former Juventus and Barcelona striker hinted at another return to Arsenal, saying: One thing is certain: I will stay in football, as a coach, a consultant or executive. We will see.

Wenger is convinced that Henry has all the qualities to become a top-class coach but stressed he deserves time to think about his next career move.

“What I understand is that he wants to reflect for a while on how he wants to go into his next life,” the Arsenal manager said.

“The only thing I would like to say is that I gave him his start at the age of 17 at Monaco, today he is 37 so he had 20 years of competitive football and that deserves high respect and congratulations. Not only for what he achieved but also for his attitude, his exemplarity and his focus on football.

“He has the right to reflect and think of what he wants to do now. He has all the qualities [to be a coach] because he is intelligent, committed, he loves the game. He just has to think, ‘Do I want to sacrifice all the rest of my life to be involved in that job?’”