Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has backed Thierry Henry to succeed in management despite experiencing a frustrating stint at AS Monaco. The Frenchman was offered his maiden managerial role with the Principality outfit back in October after they were lingering in the relegation positions.

However, he failed to change their fortunes in the months which followed and he was eventually sacked from the helm in January with Leonardo Jardim whom he had previously succeeded, re-joining the former French champions. Speaking to Lauren Sport, Wenger said that the situation at Monaco was not welcoming for the former Arsenal star to make the difference and this ultimately contributed to the early dismissal with the club wanting positive results.

He said: “If you arrive in October and the team is in a bad position, you have three months, because in January everybody starts to become nervous that things could go very badly, so you have less time. That’s what’s happened to Thierry but how he bounces back will be very important. I believe he has the quality and he has the desire to make a career and the career is judged on a longer period.”

“Henry could only guide Monaco to four wins across all competitions between October and January“ but there were reasons to be optimistic after the club spent on new recruits during the winter transfer window. Nonetheless, the hierarchy were not prepared to keep the patience with the manager beyond January and the
“Frenchman was eventually sacked“ with just 20 games at the helm.

Since Henry’s sacking, Jardim has managed to give a lift to the team’s league performances and they are currently on a three-match unbeaten run which has included two victories. This has propelled them two points above the drop zone for the first time since gameweek 6.