Topics: Thierry Henry, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Champions League, Premier League
Thierry Henry has named who he would prefer to coach out of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
Henry, 47, was joined by fellow former Premier League stars Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher alongside presenter Kate Scott ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League play-off clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
“They [Manchester City] won the treble with him [Erling Haaland],” Henry said when speaking on CBS.
“You have to give him that respect, but the jury is still out.”
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Then attention turned to Mbappé, 26.
“Kylian [Mbappé] for me has more of a pass… this is a guy that’s trying to play as a nine for one and a half years,” he added.
“They tried to do it with Paris Saint-Germain – it didn’t work out. He’s doing it at Real Madrid the biggest club in Europe and people will argue in the world.
“He has to adapt to that [playing as a centre-forward]. This guy [Erling Haaland] has been playing as a nine since the beginning of his career…
“We thought that these were the two guys that were coming after [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo but now instead of having a confirmation of what they are people are still questioning the way they play and not the stats because the stats are magnificent in terms of goals."
Carragher, 47, then questioned whether the Frenchman sees the pair as “two of the best players in the world right now”.
“Of course… not maybe the two best but they are top,” explained Henry.
“Some people say Mbappé, some people say Vinicius, some people say Lamine Yamal is coming… I’m just saying it’s not a sure thing.”
Carragher then asked who Henry would prefer to have in his team as a centre-forward before the former Arsenal man instantly answered “Mbappé all day”.
“I’ll tell you why, because he does offer different options for a coach,” Henry explained. “He can play on the right, he can play on the left [and] he can play in the middle.
“Can Haaland play any other position than a nine?”
The former Barcelona striker then asked his fellow panel members who they would prefer to mark given the fact they were both defenders. Richards, 36, said he would "prefer Haaland because you know he wants to run in behind" while Carragher shared the opinion.
