Monaco names Thierry Henry as coach to replace Jardim

Paris, Oct 13 : AS Monaco announced on Saturday the appointment of former French star Thierry Henry as the new coach for three seasons, replacing Portuguese Leonardo Jardim.

The former striker, 41, will lead the Ligue 1 team starting from Monday after Jardim was fired on Thursday due to poor results.

"The former striker of the French national team returns to Monaco, where he was trained and played between 1993 and 1999," the club said in a statement.

Henry, a World Cup champion in 1998, will be accompanied by Joao Carlos Valado Tralhao, coach of Benfica's Under-23 squad, and Patrick Kwame Ampadu, coach of the Arsenal Academy, reports Efe news.

As a player for Monaco, the Frenchman appeared in 141 matches, scoring 28 goals and helping the French club to claim the Ligue 1 title in 1997.

"I am very happy to come back to AS Monaco and extremely determined to meet the challenges ahead," Henry said. "I cannot wait to meet the players to start working together."

Monaco's vice president and CEO, Vadim Vasilyev, praised the Frenchman and expressed his support for the new coach.

"His knowledge of football, his passion for the game, his high standards and his commitment to our colours make his nomination a reality," Vasilyev said, in reference to Henry.

Jardim, 44, was the coach of Monaco starting from the summer of 2014 and had a contract until 2020.

The Portuguese coach led the team to win the Ligue 1 title in his third season in 2017, when he also reached the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

However, Jardim's last win in 2018 with Monaco was on August 11 over Nantes, while the club suffered three draws and five defeats in the first nine matches of the French league, including a 1-2 home fall to Rennes on Sunday.