Arsene Wenger turns 60 next month but insists he "does not believe in retiring" and will stay at Arsenal until his physical strength gives out - or he is given the boot.

Wenger admitted he started out in management with the plan of only working until he was 50 but now says life without football is unthinkable.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, was talked out of his plans to retire when he turned 60 back in 2001 and the Gunners boss says he will keep going too.

Wenger, speaking at a League Managers' Association conference in London, said: "I can understand that [Ferguson's decision], I said I would stop at 50!

"I don't believe in retiring unless you have to.

"I have never had a day when I think I could live without football.

"I know one day it will happen but you shouldn't live every day knowing you are going to die - you live knowing that you want to live."

Wenger admitted it can become too physically demanding in old age to remain as a football manager and that when the time comes he is sure others will let him know.

He added: "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."

Wenger rates his greatest achievement as guiding Arsenal to an unbeaten Premier League season in 2003-4, and accepted this is the season his re-built side have to produce the goods.

"Without a doubt going the whole season unbeaten is my greatest achievement," said Wenger.

"If you win the championship you feel someone else can come in and do better than you.

"It was always my dream to go the whole season unbeaten because there's not much more anyone can do to beat that."

That season marked Arsenal's last Premier League title, and the Gunners have not won a trophy since the FA Cup in 2005 since when the team has completely changed.

The youthful make-up of the side - forced on the club by the cost of the Emirates Stadium development - has given Wenger the excuse it has been a team in development, but he admits the players now have to prove their worth.

"It's a very important year because we feel the team is now more mature and can compete at the top, top level," he said.

Wenger has not seen eye to eye with UEFA president Michel Platini in the past but has backed his latest proposals to restrict clubs to spending only what they earn - and curb the spending of sugar daddies such as Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City.

The Arsenal manager said: "UEFA are pleading for financial fair play and I believe that's right.

"Ultimately the real size of a club is the distribution of its audience.

"If a club with an audience of 2,000 people is suddenly bigger than a club with 100,000 that cannot be right. Football has to make sure that that is respected."