Thierry Henry Says He'll 'Dream' of Managing Arsenal 'Until the Day I Die'

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has revealed that managing his former side would be a "dream" for him.

Henry took charge of Major League Soccer outfit Montreal Impact in November last year. 

He told Canal Plus (h/t Goal's James Westwood): "I do dream of managing Arsenal, but I also dream of running up the court and doing a slam dunk. It doesn't mean it'll happen. But, yes, I'll want to manage Arsenal until the day I die."

The Frenchman was also asked about rumours he had been lined up to replace his mentor at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, when he left the club in 2018. Wenger was eventually replaced by Unai Emery.

Henry said "it was already difficult before Arsene left" and added that since moving into coaching he has learned: 

"There are things that I heard, that you might hear something from someone you know or I know and we might know things.

"But we don't actually know anything, certainly not enough to speak about it, since then I have decided it is best not to get involved in these sorts of things."

In his playing days, Henry made 375 appearances for Arsenal between 1999 and 2007, as well as in a brief loan spell in 2012.

During that time, he racked up 228 goals and 90 assists, lifting two Premier League titles—the second as part of an unbeaten season—and two FA Cups.

He began coaching in 2016 when he joined Roberto Martinez's Belgium setup as a striker coach. He became Martinez's assistant after the Red Devils finished third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup before taking charge of his former club Monaco as their No. 1 in October 2018.

The 42-year-old did not enjoy a successful return to Monaco, though. He was sacked in January 2019 after just 20 matches.

His record over those 20 matches was uninspiring:

Despite that, he took over at Montreal in November. David Rudin of the Montreal Gazette questioned his credentials as a coach:

"

very excited for Thierry Henry to be in Montreal but there’s also basically no evidence that he’s a competent coach

— David Rudin (@DavidSRudin) November 14, 2019"

Montreal played their first game under Henry last Thursday in the CONCACAF Champions League.

They let slip a 2-0 lead against Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa:

Arsenal are managed by Mikel Arteta, who played alongside Henry when he returned to the Gunners on loan in 2012.

The Spaniard had never managed previously before he was given the job in December. His only coaching experience came as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City following his retirement in 2016.

Arteta has only guided them to three wins in their nine Premier League matches under him, but he's picked up six wins in 12 matches overall. They've also recorded three consecutive victories in all competitions for the first time since September.

Henry's brief coaching career hasn't shown much to suggest he'd do well at Arsenal, despite his connection with the club, and given he's now in MLS he'd need to do an exceptional job to alter that perception.

However, he's still only 42—he has plenty of time to prove himself as a manager yet.