Retirement is dying – Wenger not planning to call it quits

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists he has no plans to give up coaching, comparing retirement to death.

Wenger, 67, is under pressure at the Emirates Stadium, yet to extend a contract which runs until the end of the season.

But the Frenchman intends to continue in management, whether he remains at the Premier League club or not.

"I will not retire," Wenger said.

And, in words similar to those once said by former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, he added: "Retiring is for young people. For old people, retirement is dying."

Ahead of hosting Manchester City on Sunday, Wenger's men sit sixth in the Premier League and seven points behind Pep Guardiola's fourth-placed team.

Wenger, in charge at the club since 1996, said he was still as desperate as ever for success.

"Of course I'm as hungry as I was when I arrived. I carry a bit more pressure on my shoulders than 20 years ago but the hunger is exactly the same," he said.

"When you see what the club was then and what it is today... when I arrived there were 70 people working for the club, we are 700 today. One share was £400, it's £18,000 today. And I'll tell you straight away, I don't have any shares."