Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golder’s News And Sport 

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has said that Jurgen Klopp’s intense coaching at Liverpool led to numerous hamstring injuries and did not yield results for years.

The retired 42-year-old French footballer, who was announced as the manager of Major League Soccer club Montreal Impact in November made the comments during an interview with French sports magazine L’Equipe in Orlando, Florida in the United States as he prepares for the upcoming season.

When asked if coaching is harder these days, Henry said: “Yes. I’m not talking about myself, but in general, people these days want someone to be able to develop a legacy over a very short period of time… That is not impossible.

“Look at [Liverpool coach] Jurgen Klopp. I do not compare myself to him but he is an example that I am using because he is in England and I covered that for TV [for Sky Sports between 2014 and 2018].

“When he arrived, it was said that everyone was getting injured because people are not aware that the team was used to training in a certain way.

“And then, you change everything to adapt to your game because Klopp really likes pressing [players], there were a lot of hamstring injuries.

“And we also saw the team often concedes a few goals in the last minutes of play…

“It took six to eight months to adapt. After that, you have to look at who can play in your system… Now everyone says: oh Liverpool, but it took three and a half years, even for a great manager.

“He didn’t do that (winning the 2019 Champions League in particular) in three months or even in two years.

As well as discussing Klopp, Henry seemed to be able to see the funny side of his life on the other side of the pond, taking the mickey out of himself for his anglicisms. He joked: “Yesterday, I said something and I nearly slapped myself because it was so un-French.”

He added: “Yeah, now I kind of understand Jean-Claude Van Damme at the time…”

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