Henry will help Belgium break down barriers – Martinez

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez believes the experience of his assistant Thierry Henry will help break down some “mental barriers” in his squad ahead of the World Cup.

The former Everton boss was handed the reins of the Red Devils in August 2016 and one of his first moves was to bring the Arsenal legend in as his number two.

The pair guided Belgium to nine wins out of 10 games in qualifying to become the first European nation to book their spot in international football’s showpiece event in Russia next year.

Henry has won both the World Cup and European Championship with France and Martinez believes that experience will help his talented squad finally deliver on the biggest stage of all.

“Thierry has a huge role to play,” he told FIFA.com.

“The quality of his work is amazing. He is just as demanding as he was when he was a player, and it was that quality that made him one of the best players in the world.

“He has the know-how and the experience that comes with winning the World Cup, which is priceless for us because we have some mental barriers to break down if we are going to achieve that.

“In a national team you don’t get to spend much time with the players, and with his quality and expertise Thierry helps us make the most of that time.

“If you are a striker, for example, being able to talk to him about your movement in the box is a huge plus point.”