Henry was dismissed by the French club after winning two of twelve matches Lopes believes the 'bright' and 'engaging' coach deserved more time in charge

                     Former Monaco midfielder Rony Lopes believes 'engaging' manager Thierry Henry was sacked prematurely during the 2018-19 season and could have become 'a fantastic coach' at the club.

The Arsenal icon was appointed Monaco boss in October 2018 after Leanardo Jardim was sacked. Les Monegasques had made an inauspicious start to the season, lying 18th in Ligue 1 after one win in nine matches.

Henry had previously worked with a Belgium team abounding with talent at the 2018 World Cup, but inherited an injury-ravaged squad upon his return to Stade Louis II.Henry won just two of his twelve matches in charge and was dismissed after the abject 5-1 home defeat by Strasbourg. He now manages Montreal Impact.

Jardim was reinstated after Henry's departure and Lopes, who played for both men before joining Sevilla in the summer, has lifted the lid on Frenchman's Monaco reign. 

'The time with Henry was a very hard campaign because it was a moment in the season when we had 17 injured players,' Lopes said to The Athletic. 'We played in the Champions League with five strikers who were 18 years old.