Thierry Henry has warned Chelsea’s underperforming stars that they have a tough future ahead – if they do not improve – under Antonio Conte next summer.

The Italian has been announced as the next manager of Chelsea on a three-year contract. He replaces Guus Hiddink, who has been at the club on an interim basis. There has already been a lot of talk about Conte’s style of management and the latest to comment is former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry. After having played with Conte in a short spell at Juventus, Henry recalls that the Italian is a straightforward guy who will do anything for the betterment of the team.

Andrea Pirlo also revealed that Conte lashed out at the players when he had just been appointed as the Juventus manager in 2011. Conte reportedly used explicit words in order to describe the performance of the players. The club not only went on to qualify for the Champions League under his regime, but they also won the title for four consecutive seasons. His spell with the Italian national team – after taking over from Cesare Prandelli in 2014 – may not have been hugely successful, but Henry says that Conte is a manager who needs to be treated with respect.

Conte is also famed for his tactical strength.“You can be sure that Conte will hold the players to account for their shortcomings and he won’t spare anyone’s feelings in his analysis of what has gone wrong. I played with him during my brief spell at Juve and soon realised he was a very direct and in-your-face character who would take no prisoners. But he didn’t have a go just for the sake of hammering people. He was only interested in helping the side improve,” said Henry. Chelsea will be without Champions League football for next season.