Thierry Henry sacked as Monaco manager - with Leonardo Jardim returning

Thierry Henry’s ill-fated reign as Monaco boss has come to a highly premature end, the former French international removed from his position as manager after crashing out of the French cup against Ligue 2 side Metz.

Henry’s stint as Monaco manager has been filled with disappointment, the former Arsenal striker unable to revitalise the side 19th in the table on just 15 points, 3 points away from safety.

Most recently in the league, Monaco suffered a humiliating 5-1 home defeat against Strasbourg, a result some would have anticipated would be Henry’s final match in charge, but he clung on for one more game, that 3-1 defeat to Metz proving the final straw.

Henry was in charge of his boyhood club for just 104 days, winning just 5 of his 20 games across all competitions, losing 11 in the process.

There is further news to report, with former Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim, who was in charge of the club just a matter of months ago - just before Henry was appointed - returning to the club until at least the end of the season.

The Portuguese manager had come close to joining Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr towards the end of 2018, before then looking set to join Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang, but neither move materialised.

As such, Jardim was still available, and due to his excellent relationship with the Monaco ownership and fans, as well as his affinity for the club itself, he has made a swift return to the club that sacked him only a matter of months ago.

Jardim had a terrific time in charge of Monaco, leading them to the Ligue 1 title ahead of heavyweights PSG, as well as into the semi-final of the Champions League, but having sold several key players over the last few transfer windows, struggled to lead the club to anywhere near their previously lofty heights, lingering in the relegation zone even when Henry first arrived.

Jardim himself did state that, after just 8 games of the league season, he feared that the side will end up getting relegated having seen the lack of progression of the younger players at the club.

And just two days ago, he said that we was virtually “100% certain” that he would one day return to Monaco as manager - a statement that proved to be absolutely true, but this is surely a much quicker return than he had previously anticipated!

Picture by Louis Dessvignesse. CC BY-SA 4.0. License: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58307688.