Arsenal legend Thierry Henry’s preparations for the Olympic Games has faced a setback.
Le Parisien state that the France Under-23s coach has seen a huge blow to his chances of winning gold at the forthcoming tournament – as Henry's former employers have told him they would not release William Saliba to represent his nation at the tournament.
Henry is considered one of Arsenal’s greatest-ever players, scoring 228 goals during two tenures. But the North London club have reportedly put an obstacle in his quest to enter the Olympics with the strongest possible team.
Henry has been grappling with numerous clubs refusing to release their players for the Paris Summer Games, with Real Madrid being among the most notable of these clubs. It’s thought that the club will not allow their players to take part in the Games, given that there is also the Euros to contend with.
Senior France manager Didier Deschamps has even agreed and is not keen on the idea of seemingly future Los Blancos player Kylian Mbappe playing at Euro 2024 and the Olympics in the same summer.
“It is very difficult from a psychological and physical viewpoint to take part in two competitions like that one after the other, in the summer, without having any holiday,” Deschamps said in March.
Saliba has already been selected for the Euros but as a consequence is barred from participating in the Olympics.
The close scheduling of the two competitions means that participating in both would leave Saliba with virtually no rest after a demanding season, as well as no preseason preparation for the following campaign.
Antoine Griezmann, however, has expressed his desire to play in both competitions.
“I'm going to do everything I can to take part. I'll have a discussion with the directors when the time comes to find out if they'll let me go,” he said. “Despite the fact that the tournament is taking place outside the dates set by Fifa. I know my body, we have top-level physiotherapists, so there's nothing to worry about.”
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