Arsene Wenger says he has no plans to walk away from the game as he prepares to celebrate his 60th birthday next month.

Wenger, who has been with the Gunners since 1996 but hasn’t won a trophy since 2005, originally believed he’d retire at the age of 50. But he looks set to follow Sir Alex Ferguson by continuing as he passes the big six – oh.

Speaking to a League Managers Association conference, Wenger said:

I don’t believe in retiring unless you have to. I have never had a day when I think I could live without football.

In our job you need physical strength and to be a bit of an animal to convince people it’s important to win. But once that physical strength goes it’s a handicap, although you can compensate to an extent with experience. But you need in some way to be an animal and you need physical power.

You will know if you are not hungry enough any more but other people will tell you if you are not good enough any more.

It’s not for a manager to know - it’s for other people to know and to tell him.

I know one day it will happen when I have to live without football but you shouldn’t live every day knowing you are going to die - you live knowing that you want to live.

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