OFFICIAL: Thierry Henry appointed France U21 manager

Thierry Henry is the new France U21 manager for the next two years, the French FA has officially announced this Monday. The 46-year-old former Arsenal striker was the overwhelming favourite to land the job. Henry is replacing Sylvain Ripoll, who has been dismissed on the back of a disappointing six-year stay as head of Les Bleuets. The former Lorient head coach failed to take France past the semi-final stage in any of the competitions he has overseen. France were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Ukraine in this summer’s U21 European Championships. This 3-1 defeat proved to be the last straw for Ripoll.

With the 2024 Olympic Games just around the corner, the French FA has decided that change was needed for Les Bleuets. According to L’Équipe, French FA board member and former Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas lobbied for Henry to get the nod from French FA president Philippe Diallo. The French publication understands that Strasbourg assistant coach Mathieu Le Scornet could be appointed as Henry’s deputy. Henry’s first outing as France U21 manager will occur on September 7th with a friendly against Denmark at Nancy. Four days later, Les Bleuets will kick off their campaign to qualify for the 2025 European Championships with an away game against Slovenia.

Thierry Henry was part of a reported four-man shortlist – along with Sabri Lamouchi, Julien Stéphan and Jocelyn Gourvennec – to head France’s U21 national team and it quickly transpired that the 1998 World Cup winner was leading the race. Henry’s status as one of the country’s best-ever strikers, his charisma and his knowledge of France’s young talent pool have reportedly impressed the French FA. The executive committee of the FFF convened this Monday to ratify choosing Henry as Ripoll’s successor in France’s U21 dugout. Le Parisien understands that Henry was unanimously chosen. It has been reported that France’s Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra has backed the choice of Henry to oversee the next generation of France’s best players, despite the 2009 Champions League winner’s meagre experience as a senior coach. He will be joined by former Angers manager Gérald Baticle as his assistant.

Henry was dismissed after an underwhelming three-month spell at AS Monaco four years ago. In 2021, he resigned from his post as head coach of Montreal Impact to be closer to his family. He was also an assistant coach in Roberto Martínez’s Belgium national team backroom staff. In accepting the France U21 manager role, Henry may now be considered a strong favourite down the line to replace his former teammate Didier Deschamps as head of Les Bleus. Deschamps has signed a new four-year contract on the back of France’s gut-wrenching loss in the 2022 World Cup final, keeping him in the hot seat until after the 2026 tournament set to be held in North America.