Thought of retirement makes me panic, Wenger confesses

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, said the thought of retirement makes him “panic”.

Wenger is gearing up for his 20th year at the helm in London, following his arrival from Nagoya Grampus, and the 65-year-old Frenchman has showed no signs of slowing down.

Long-time rival, Alex Ferguson, walked away from Manchester United in 2013, after 27 successful years at Old Trafford.

However, Wenger does not plan to retire as he bids to lead Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2003-04.

“Retirement? Yes, it crosses my mind sometimes but for no longer than five seconds because I panic a little bit,” said Wenger, who signed a three-year extension in May last year.

“When we played at Man United, he [Ferguson] came to meet me after the game. I said: ‘Come on, you don’t miss it?’ He says: ‘No.’ He had enough. He goes to every game. But he has [race] horses. I have no horses.

“Enthusiasm? That is not a problem, honestly. I am more committed than ever for that. I just think the number of times you have done it doesn’t count. It is how much you love what you do that counts.

“And the love of what you do is not necessarily diminished by the number of times you’ve done it. Football is new every day. That’s a big quality. It makes you question.

“Because with every defeat people say: ‘What is this guy doing?’ Every three days you are questioned. You have an exam every three days.