The Ligue 1 strugglers announced on Thursday he had been suspended, but BBC Sport understands that is merely procedural and that the France World Cup winner has already left the club.

Predecessor Leonardo Jardim is expected to replace Henry, just over three months after being fired himself.

The 2017 French champions are in the relegation zone after only five wins under Henry in all competitions.

Franck Passi, appointed as Henry’s assistant on 20 December, will take training on Friday, the club said.

Passi has previously had spells as caretaker manager of Marseille and Lille.

Henry – who was hired in October – had apologised for using foul language to insult Strasbourg defender Kenny Lala during his side’s 5-1 defeat on Saturday.

Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer is in his first managerial role, having previously been Belgium assistant boss.

He had been on the shortlist for the Aston Villa’s manager’s job in October before taking the job at the club where he started his playing career.

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The two teams’ managers are former Arsenal greats and they did their battle in the dugout to provide an interesting sideline attraction.

Former France internationals Henry and Vieira played 313 games together at Arsenal, under the English Premier League club’s former boss Arsene Wenger, and with Les Bleus.

But their former loyalties were put to one side as Monaco chased a first league win since Dec. 4.

The result left Monaco second from bottom with 15 points from 20 games while Nice stayed sixth on 30 points.

Nice however played the second half with 10 men following Ihsan Sacko’s red card.

Olympique Lyonnais edged closer to second-placed Lille as Nabil Fekir’s late strike salvaged a 2-2 draw at Toulouse in one of five rescheduled matches.

The limelight, however, was on 1998 World Cup winners Henry and Vieira.

Henry had to make do without Cesc Fabregas as the Spanish midfielder, who joined the club last week from Chelsea, was not qualified to play when the game was initially scheduled.

Allan Saint Maximin put the visitors ahead with a low shot from inside the penalty box after easing past Jemerson, exposing Monaco’s weak defence.

Benoit Badiashile headed the equaliser home from a Rony Lopes corner as Monaco made their dominance count following the exclusion of Sacko on the stroke of halftime.

Lyon went 2-0 down in Toulouse after a Jimmy Durmaz double, but Moussa Dembele pulled one back in the 75th minute.

Substitute Fekir levelled with a perfectly curled free kick in the 87th.

Lyon are third on 34 points, three behind Lille with runaway leaders Paris St Germain (PSG) on 50 points with two games in hand.

St Etienne faced Olympique de Marseille later on Wednesday (2000GMT).

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The 31-year-old Spaniard captained the Blues in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest on Saturday and was in tears as he applauded fans at the final whistle.

He joined Chelsea from Barcelona in 2014, having played 303 times for Arsenal between 2003 and 2011.

Fabregas described the move as “a new project”, calling it a “great honour”.

“I’m here to help the team, I’m looking forward to starting. I am very excited,” he added.

BBC Sport understands Monaco have not paid a fee for Fabregas but will pay ‘bonuses’ to Chelsea linked to his performances.

Fabregas won two Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup in 501 appearances in English football.

With the Gunners, he won the FA Cup and played in the 2006 Champions League final defeat against Barcelona, before joining the Catalan giants in 2011.

Having won six trophies with Barcelona, including La Liga and the Club World Cup, he returned to England to win the Premier League twice in three seasons with Chelsea, first under Jose Mourinho and then Antonio Conte.

In what was the final season of his contract at Stamford Bridge, he had started only one Premier League match under new boss Maurizio Sarri.

Former France and Arsenal striker Henry took charge of Monaco, where he started his playing career, in October – but they have only won twice under his stewardship and are one place off the bottom of Ligue 1 on 13 points from 18 games.

“We are very pleased to welcome Cesc Fabregas to AS Monaco, a world-class player and a great professional, whose arrival demonstrates the ambition of the club,” said club vice-president Vadim Vasilyev.

“We are convinced that his experience at the highest level will bring a lot to our players on and off the field.”

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Koke’s deflected shot gave Atletico a second-minute lead. Antoine Griezmann then made it two with a stylish finish.

Radamel Falcao missed a late penalty for Monaco against his former club with Atletico’s Stefan Savic sent off having received his second booking of the match to concede the spot-kick.

It was a chastening experience for Henry whose Monaco side finally won for the first time under his management at Caen on Saturday. The penalty aside, they barely threatened against Diego Simeone’s well-drilled outfit.

With just one point from five games, they are set to finish bottom of Group A.

Borussia Dortmund are also through to the knockout stage but their goalless draw at home to Club Brugge leaves them needing Atletico Madrid to slip up in their final match against the Belgians to stand a chance of topping the group.

Belgian forward Dries Mertens made it 13 goals this season with a stunning brace
Group C is topped by Napoli who beat Red Star Belgrade 3-1 in Naples.

Dries Mertens scored two outstanding goals after captain Marek Hamsik had opened the scoring early on. El Fardou Ben fired home a consolation for the Serbian side.

The result leaves Napoli needing a draw against Liverpool in the final group game to be certain of qualifying for the knockout stages.

In Group D, Lokomotiv Moscow picked up their first points of the campaign with a 2-0 win at home to Galatasaray.

That score meant group leaders Porto and second-placed Schalke qualified for the last 16.

The two sides met in Portugal with Porto winning 3-1 to ensure they top the group.

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The 2017 champions had not won since 11 August and had drawn two and lost four since Henry took over six weeks ago.

While the win did not lift the principality side out of the relegation zone, it did relieve some pressure on the Arsenal and France legend.

Monaco stay 19th but move to within two points of Caen and safety.

Henry, who had been Belgium’s assistant manager, replaced the sacked Leonardo Jardim in mid-October with the club third from bottom.

But since his arrival, they have been knocked out of the Champions League and been short of confidence, good fortune and results.

However, Colombia forward Falcao registered his fifth goal of the campaign with a superb 20-yard free-kick to suggest he may be returning to form after a goal drought of nearly two months.

And Henry’s side got the benefit of a VAR decision in added on time, when Caen winger Malik Tchokounte’s effort was disallowed for an offside against Paul Baysse. That ensured a first clean sheet for Monaco since August, as well as a first win since the opening weekend.

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Vadim Vasilyev, Monaco’s Vice-president, said they would not bow to mounting pressure and fire Henry, who has drawn two and lost four matches since succeeding Leonardo Jardim.

“Thierry Henry came for the long term, he is not a firefighter,” Vasilyev told French TV channel Canal.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona striker took over in the principality last month, but has struggled in his new role at last season’s Ligue 1 runners-up.

Injuries have played a part, with several first-team players unavailable and a strategy of selling top players has hardly helped instill the club with a sense of stability.

Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Kylian Mbappe are among those who have left in recent years.

“We’ve never had as many injured players,” Vasilyev said. “We’re lacking confidence, we’re lacking luck.”

Monaco were outclassed on Sunday as PSG breezed past them with a hat-trick from Edinson Cavani and a penalty from Neymar.

They are already out of the Champions League, after taking just one point from a possible 12, and they sit joint bottom of Ligue 1 standings with seven points from 13 games.

Monaco’s next game is on Saturday at Caen, who are two places above them in the Ligue un table.

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The defeat was the Ligue 1 side’s heaviest in the competition and leaves them with one point from four matches.

Henry, 41, is winless in five games in charge, with this a third defeat.

A Hans Vanaken double and a Wesley Moraes strike put Club Brugge 3-0 up at the break, before Ruud Vormer completed the victory late in the second half.

The loss extends Monaco’s run this season to 15 games without a victory in all competitions – they have not won since their second game of the campaign.

Atletico Madrid’s 2-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund in Spain means those two teams have nine points in Group A, while third-placed Club Brugge have four points and retain an outside chance of reaching the knockout stages.

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Frenchman Henry, 41, saw his side go behind when goalkeeper Seydou Sy fumbled an Adrien Thomasson header.

It got worse for the visitors when Samuel Grandsir saw red for a high foot, before Strasbourg substitute Lebo Mothiba made it two for the home side.

Youri Tielemans’ late penalty was only a consolation, with Monaco above bottom club Guingamp on goal difference.

Monaco, Ligue 1 title winners in 2017 under Henry’s predecessor Leonardo Jardim, who was sacked on 11 October, have failed to win in 11 games in all competitions since the opening weekend of the French top-flight season.

Their six-point tally from 10 games this season is also the club’s worst start since the 1953-54 season.

The result sees Strasbourg rise to sixth in the table, with the principality side left to focus on Wednesday’s Champions League group match at Club Brugge.

Former France and Arsenal star Henry, who began his playing career at Monaco and helped them win Ligue 1 in 1997, was assistant manager of Belgium before joining the eight-time French champions.

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The France international – who has spent three seasons with Monaco since arriving from Caen – is in Russia for the World Cup.

Arsenal failed to sign Lemar, 22, in last summer’s transfer window, while he was also a £60m target for Liverpool.

“Over the next days, both clubs will work to close the agreement for the definitive transfer,” Atletico said.

Lemar has scored 22 goals in 123 games for Monaco and helped them win Ligue 1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2016-17.

He made his France debut in 2016 and has scored three goals in 12 international games.

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The Brazil international, 24, will join the Champions League finalists on 1 July for around £39m (45m euros).

A further £4m (5m euros) could be added in performance-related bonus payments and Fabinho’s arrival will likely be followed by the departure of Emre Can.

“This is something that I always wanted – this is a giant of a team,” said Fabinho. “I am really excited.”

‘He can play six, eight and two – this is cool’

Fabinho has spent spells playing as a right-back but has excelled in defensive midfield and is viewed as a replacement for Can, who is out of contract this summer and has repeatedly been linked with Juventus.

Manager Jurgen Klopp said: “He has ability and mentality to play at the highest level in a number of positions. He can play ‘six’, ‘eight’ and ‘two’. This is cool.”

The Brazilian, whose deal will begin on 1 July, said the club’s infrastructure looked “exceptional”.

“A football club of this size coming after my services, I didn’t have to think that much about coming over,” added Fabinho.

“I will try to create my own history at this football club. Hopefully, on a personal level, I’m able to win titles with this club.”

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‘A fantastic player and person’

Fabinho, who joined Monaco on loan from Portuguese side Rio Ave in 2013, won the French league title in 2016-17.

He has featured heavily for the club since making his loan move permanent in 2015, playing 47 times in all competitions last season and scoring eight goals.

In all, he made 225 appearances and scored 29 goals in five seasons with the French club.

“We have signed a fantastic player, but someone who is an equally fantastic person I think,” added Klopp.

“His reputation as a character in the dressing room and his attitude in training has come through from everyone we speak to.

“He has a lovely family also – adding a person like this to our dressing room only makes us even stronger. What we have – in terms of our environment at Melwood and in the team – means anyone coming in must be of that build. They must be the highest quality person and player.”

Despite helping Monaco to second in Ligue 1 behind champions Paris St-Germain last season, Fabinho did not make Brazil’s 23-man World Cup squad.

He will join another new face in Liverpool’s midfield next term, with Guinea international Naby Keita moving to Merseyside from RB Leipzig on 1 July.

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