Arsene Wenger has revealed that he would prefer to remain at Arsenal when his contract expires at the end of the season but he knows that may not be possible.

“If you have a team, maybe you can employ me,” Wenger joked with reporters.

He then denied that his comments on Friday, about managing at Arsenal or somewhere else, were a threat. “That’s not a threat. My preference is always to manage Arsenal. I think I have shown that. But I am adult enough to analyse the situation.

“[Sir Alex] Ferguson has some other interests in life,” he added.

“He was older than I am today. He was four years older and retired at 71. I’m 67. 

Wenger was then asked if this meant he wanted four more years, “Maybe more, maybe less, I don’t know. Everybody is different.

“I do not want to take anything away from Ferguson, he was an absolutely unbelievable manager, but he had enough. He had enough. And I’m not at that stage.”

After the result against Bayern Munich it seemed certain that Wenger would finally walk away at the end of this season. But his press conference ahead of the game against Sutton saw a man gearing up to be defiant again.

Asked if his side will take long to recover from the shambles in Munich, Wenger replied, “It will never be quick.

“We will keep that with us for our whole lives. But overall I still believe in life if you dwell too much on the past, you forget to prepare the future.

“You have to show that is part of a successful life. You have to deal with disappointments and focus 100 percent on what is in front of you and deal with that.”

 “When you have a heavy defeat like that, it’s difficult to come out on one individual because you look at the way we conceded goals and you can as well criticise some other players,” he continued.

“But overall for every single player it is always to try to get up to the next level and he is like everybody else.

“I absolutely accept the situation and analyse it well. No matter how much we cry together, we will not change the result. The only thing we can do is win the next game.

“I would say it is more about character and being united. It is important you do not get in a blame culture and be united to respond well.”