Thierry Henry’s eight years at Arsenal were defined by a fierce rivalry with Manchester United, but the pundit has since spoken of his respect for Alex Ferguson.
And now, in an interview with Steve Bower that marks the Premier League’s 25th anniversary, Henry has floated the idea of naming the trophy after its record recipient.
If anything can convince Arsene Wenger to retire, that would just about do it.
“When I met him (Alex Ferguson) for the first time, I called him Mr. Premier League. Thirteen. This is ridiculous. The trophy we see right there should have his name. People might disagree with this, and I’m not a Man United fan. Thirteen times? This is too much.”
He went on to describe the ways in which Ferguson evolved over his managerial career.
“His ability to change his staff, bring a new number two, a new voice and new idea. Carlos Queiroz and other guys, tactically sound. This also helped. Because if the training sessions are always the same, it can get boring.
“He also knew what he wasn’t good at. So he would select people for his staff to do what he couldn’t. I could see that from the outside: ‘Oh, he’s changed the no.2 again. Oh, he’s changed the number two again.” (esquire)