London, July 23 (IANS) English Premier League (EPL) club Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Thursday said the idea of quitting his career and retiring from football makes him panic.
He is currently the longest serving manager of the league having been appointed by Arsenal in 1996.
“Retirement? Yes, it crosses my mind sometimes but for no longer than five seconds because I panic a little bit,” Wenger was quoted as saying by goal.com.
“When we played against Manchester United, (Alex 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 horses. I have no horses.”
In his first nine years at the club he had won seven major trophies but in the last 10 he has just had two silverwares to his credit. But he insists he is still committed to the job.
“Enthusiasm 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,” the 65-year-old said.
“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,” the Frenchman added.
“With every defeat people say ‘what is this guy doing?’ Every three days you are questioned. You have an exam every three days. You have no way to look back. You have to prepare the next exam and come out of it with success. So it always demands 100 per cent commitment,” the former AS Monaco manager furher added.
“I want to do well for the club and, as well, when I leave one day, leave the club in a position where the club can go on and on.”