Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 07:35• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 07:36

Thierry Henry has nothing but praise for Erik ten Hag. The former top striker of Arsenal is so impressed by the Dutchman that he has dropped his name at Joan Laporta after the dismissal of Ronald Koeman, he said after the Premier League cracker between Arsenal and Manchester United (3-2) . Henry says he is a ‘big fan’ of Ten Hag and even thinks that the OIdenzaler is capable of playing more attractive football in the long term than in the period under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Henry saw up close last weekend how Ten Hag managed to control his team in a short time. “We saw a team that has been developing for three years against a team that has been developing for six months,” said the former striker at CBS Sports. “And also a team that had a week’s rest and a team that only had two days’ rest, but it was even. That surprised me. I expected Arsenal to completely dominate United, but United had the first half check.”

If it had been up to Henry, Ten Hag would have started working at Barcelona after Koeman’s dismissal as the successor to his compatriot. “Guys, what a different team Man United have become under Ten Hag. To be honest, I’m a big fan of Ten Hag, I really like his way of working. He’s the trainer I recommended to Laporta after Koeman was sacked at Barca. He’s a genius.” Henry himself played in the shirt of the Catalan superpower between 2007 and 2010 and still maintains warm contacts with Laporta.

The Frenchman is confident that Ten Hag is able to bring Manchester United back to the top in England. “Give him another year and support him in the transfer market and United will be a team to be reckoned with again,” said the former world striker. “It’s not meant to be disrespectful to Sir Alex, but if Ten Hag gets it right at United, they will play more attractive football than they did under Ferguson.”