Thierry Henry to leave Sky Sports

Thierry Henry is to leave Sky Sports to concentrate on his coaching career.

The fomrer Arsenal striker, who joined the Sky Sports team in 2015, has been Belgium’s assistant manager since 2016 under Roberto Martinez, and returns from this summer’s World Cup after a third-place finish in Russia.

“Over the last four years I have had some extremely rewarding coaching experiences in football. These experiences have only made me more determined to fulfil my long-term ambition to become a football manager,” said Henry

“It is with sadness, therefore, that I have decided that I must leave Sky Sports to enable me to spend more time on the pitch and concentrate on my journey to achieving that goal.

“I would like to thank everyone at Sky for making me feel so welcome and at ease throughout my time with them and I wish them all the best for the future. Great memories.”

Henry has offered his expert analysis on English football’s biggest matches over the past three-and-a-half seasons, as well as interviewing the Premier League’s top names in Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez, and Harry Kane.

Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis added: “We’re sorry he’s leaving us but we’ve known he has a real passion for coaching and he has our full support in making that career every bit as successful as his playing days.”