Thierry Henry has stepped down from his role as France’s under-21 and Olympic manager over personal reasons.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona striker, who won a silver medal with France after a 5-3 extra-time defeat by Spain in the final at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, has terminated his own contract with the country’s federation.

Henry received praise for his work during the tournament, to such an extent that Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation, did not reject the possibility of the 47-year-old one day replacing Didier Deschamps as the manager of the country’s senior team.

Henry has since held talks with Diallo to inform him of his decision, which Diallo said is a source of “regret” for the federation.

“On behalf of the FFF, I would like to thank Thierry Henry for all the work he has accomplished,” said Diallo.

“We obviously regret this decision because Thierry Henry was able to achieve the objectives that had been set for him by winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, 40 years after the Olympic medal in Los Angeles.

“Having followed him throughout this campaign, I was able to discover his great professionalism, his rigour and his love of the blue jersey. We wish him good luck for the rest of his career.”

In a brief statement on the federation’s website, Henry said: “I would like to thank the FFF and President Philippe Diallo, who offered me this incredible opportunity.

“Winning the silver medal at the Olympic Games for my country will remain one of the greatest prides of my life. I am incredibly grateful to the federation, the players, the staff and the supporters who allowed me to live a magical experience.”

Henry’s progress as a manager has not been entirely smooth since the end of his playing career. He impressed as an assistant coach with Belgium but then struggled in the top job at Monaco. He has also managed Montreal Impact, the Major League Soccer team.