Thierry Henry explains his decision to leave Sky Sports

Thierry Henry has announced he is leaving his role as a Sky Sports pundit to concentrate on his coaching career.

The 40-year-old is Belgium’s assistant manager and helped the Red Devils to a third-placed finish at the World Cup.

He tweeted: “Over the last 4 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.

“It is with sadness, therefore, that I have decided that I must leave @SkySports 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, who played for Arsenal between 1999 and 2007 before returning in a loan spell in 2012, is the club’s all-time top goalscorer and had a bronze statue erected in his honour outside the Emirates Stadium in 2011.

Henry’s Sky Sports exit will coincide with the return of his colleague Jamie Carragher, who has been given a second chance by the broadcaster after his spitting controversy.