Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher face backlash following analysis of Manchester United
Ewan Gennery
4 – 5 minutes
Manchester United have experienced an extremely below par season by their standards.
Their latest game saw them humiliated by Newcastle at St James’ Park, leaving them 14th in the Premier League with only six games to go.
Individual errors led to several goals at the weekend, with many players underperforming yet again, leading to harsh criticism on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football from Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry.
Thierry Henry faces backlash for criticism of Manchester United defender
MADRID, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 19: Thierry Henry gestures during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between Real Madrid CF and Manchester City, at Santiago Bernabeu stadium on February 19, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo By Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images) Mohamed Salah
Thierry Henry doing some punditry for CBS in the Champions League (Image credit: Getty Images)
The pair went through the goals from Newcastle game, highlighting the third goal and in particular Leny Yoro’s involvement.
While the goal came from a catastrophic error from Noussair Mazraoui, Carragher and Henry focused on the 18-year-old’s reaction, drawing criticism from the shows audience.
Manchester United defender Leny Yoro, July 2024
Manchester United defender Leny Yoro (Image credit: Alamy)
In the clip, which has been shared to YouTube, Henry said: “Look at Yoro and what he is asking for.
“I don’t know why… I don’t know what he is looking at. You’re looking at the linesman trying to see if he is going to bail you out… on what I don’t know. I don’t know if he thought there was an offside, I don’t know if he thought that someone… I don’t know.
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“We all know it’s a goal. What are you looking at? I actually don’t know. I’ve never seen that before. We all know it’s a goal.”
Henry then made an exaggerated expression, and the camera zoomed in on him, while Carragher claimed he would become a meme again because of it.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher on punditry duties for Sky Sports (Image credit: Getty Images)
Sky shared the clip to their social media accounts, which Carragher then reshared with some emojis.
Several fans have taken issue with the reaction, with one saying: “How is this on Yoro and not on Mazraoui, he panicked and had an awful touch. Doesn’t help that no one was dropping back to provide an option either.”
“I like Henry but this is nonsense,” another said. “Frozen a clip just to make a cheap joke on a young centre half. If Yoro plays for Fulham or Crystal Palace they wouldn’t dream of using this ‘analysis’.”
Jamie Carragher broadcasts ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on August 22, 2022 in Manchester, England.
Jamie Carragher looking on (Image credit: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Another said: “Henry is very quick to dissect other managers and teams, what did he do in his managerial career thus far?”
The clip and Carragher’s repost have since been deleted from social media, while the YouTube video is still up.
This isn’t the first time Henry has criticised Yoro’s reactions, telling Le Petit Lillois when he was France’s under-21 manager: “We often talk about Leny [Yoro]. He is having an exemplary start to his career. To establish himself in Lille as he is doing… He always has some young reactions, and that is completely normal.
Coach of France Thierry Henry looks on during the U23 international friendly match between France U23 and USA U23 at Stade Auguste Bonal on March 25, 2024 in Sochaux Montbeliard, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Thierry Henry looks on during the U23 international friendly match between France U23 and USA U23 (Image credit: Getty Images)
“It comes slowly, you make mistakes and sometimes you get embarrassed. (But) he goes on to play one match after another, he starts quite often and quite often is good. It’s really good for him.
“He is professional, he’s a good guy, well-educated. I like him. He performs well. Afterwards, there are always things to refine, but that’s completely normal. Frankly, it’s really a more than positive progression.”
Yoro’s Manchester United career got off to a rocky start after he suffered an ankle injury in pre-season, keeping him sidelined for several months. Since returning he has established himself and a key member of the United backline starting 10 of the 17 games he’s been available for.
