Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger not ruling out return to management

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has not ruled out a return to management after three years away from the dug-out.

Wenger spent 22 years in north London before leaving the Gunners amid mounting pressure from fans in 2018.

The 72-year-old, who also enjoyed stints in charge at Nancy, AS Monaco and Nagoya Grampus Eight, is currently FIFA's head of global football development.

Speaking at the UK premiere of 'Arsene Wenger: Invincible', he was asked whether he could return to the dug-out.

'I'm crazy, I'm crazy enough to be crazy and to make a crazy decision', he replied.

'But overall I would say no, I am determined at the moment not to do it - maybe a national team at some stage for a term.

'At the moment, I am involved in projects with FIFA and want to get to the end of it, yesterday we launched an academy online to give a chance to everybody in the world to develop as a football player - that is, for me, more useful now.

'I made one thousand two hundred and thirty five games for Arsenal, and overall in my career two thousand games - if I manage ten more it will not change my life.'

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Wenger was his inspiration to become a football manager.  The Spaniard played under Wenger for five years before retiring in 2016 and becoming a coach at Manchester City.

Arteta returned to Arsenal as head coach in December 2019 and he told Sky Sports News: 'If it was not for him I would not be in the position I am today and I wouldn't have enjoyed the career I had.

Pushed on whether Wenger is the reason he became a manager, Arteta added: '100 per cent. I was still young and I had my ideas, but he was a different level of inspiration on how I looked at the game.'