Arsenal legend Henry ready to manage in the Premier League, says Pires

Robert Pires says former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry is ready to manage a Premier League club now he has left Sky Sports.

Henry announced earlier this week that he would be quitting his £4million-a-year role with Sky Sports and would look to fulfil his “long-term ambition” to become a boss.

The 40-year-old has spent the last 12 months working as Roberto Martinez’s assistant with the Belgian national team, who finished third at the World Cup, and had previously coached Arsenal’s U18 team.

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“I’m very happy he left Sky,” Pires said. “I sent him a message yesterday saying ‘finally, you left’. Not because he’s not a good pundit but I know Thierry.

“He’s ready. Now he can focus on the new job, on being a manager. “I hope he finds the right club in the UK. He loves the Premier League, for the spirit, the competition, the big clubs.

“I don’t know if a chairman will give Thierry the opportunity but he will be a good manager.

“During the World Cup he was assistant to Roberto Martinez and did very well. If you ask all the Belgian players all of them, especially Lukaku, they say they learned from Thierry every day.”

Henry is not the only major name to make the move from the TV studio to the dugout, with Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard having been appointed by Rangers and Derby.

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“Gerrard and Thierry [coming into management] is good news for football,” Pires added.

“We need some new faces on the bench. I don’t know if they’ll make a success but these guys they have their badges, it’s very important they’re given an opportunity.

“Afterwards I don’t know what will happen but a new face like Gerrard, Thierry, Freddie Ljungberg [head coach of the Arsenal U23s] is good.”