Didier Deschamps on Thierry Henry’s apointment as France U21 boss: “I’m glad for him.”

Didier Deschamps has voiced his delight at seeing Thierry Henry, his former France and Juventus teammate, appointed as France U21 manager in a wide-ranging interview to L’Équipe. The legendary Arsenal striker has been chosen by the French FA to replace the dismissed Sylvain Ripoll and lead Les Bleuets for the Olympic tournament at the 2024 Paris Games.

Deschamps started by paying tribute to the former Lorient head coach, who had overseen the Under-21 squad for seven years now. “I have a very good relation with Sylvain Ripoll“, said the France boss. “Let’s not forget his achievements. He qualified France for the Euros three times in a row.“

The 54-year-old France boss was pleased to see Henry, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000, given the responsability to oversee France’s next generation of players. “Thierry is very happy to have been chosen. He was motivated and I’m glad for him“, underlined Deschamps. “Although I’m not one of his close friends, he is someone I always got along well. I respect him a lot.“

Deschamps is confident that his former teammate will relish the opportunity to coach Les Bleuets and even flourish in his new role. “Thierry will be judged on his results“, said the former midfielder. “Thierry has an aura given his career. He also had stints in the dugout before. He is up for it and will do his utmost to make it work. It’s risky for him, it means he wanted to challenge himself.“

GFFN | Bastien Cheval