- Arsene Wenger faced the media ahead of Europa League clash with Atletico
- Wenger says he is not ready to take another job yet after calling time at Arsenal
- Frenchman insisted he will not have any say on who takes his place at Emirates
- Mohamed Elneny is unlikely to play for Arsenal again this season due to injury
Arsene Wenger insists he will have no say on the man who takes his place at Arsenal after 22 years – before revealing that the timing of his departure was out of his hands.
The Frenchman has been in charge of the north London club for more than two decades, but last week revealed that he will step down at the end of the current campaign.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final with Atletico Madrid, Wenger said: ‘Honestly I don’t know what I’ll do when I take a little rest. My pride has always been to give my best where I’m employed until the last day of my contract.
Arsene Wenger faced the media alongside Danny Welbeck on Wednesday afternoon
The Gunners boss insists he is not yet ready to take another job after announcing his departure
‘At the moment I’m not ready to commit to anything. I want to give my best to Arsenal Football Club.’
He also revealed that the nature of his departure was out of his hands, noting: ‘The timing was not really my decision and for the rest I’ve spoken about it already.’
Wenger was then asked if he would have any input into who takes his place at the Emirates Stadium, and almost before the question had finished being asked, the manager had quickly noted: ‘No.’
Luis Enrique is the current favourite to take over when Wenger departs, but the manager would not be drawn too much on his thoughts on the ex-Barcelona boss.
Luis Enrique is the current favourite to take over, and Wenger has a ‘high opinion’ of Spaniard
Wenger also insisted he will have no say on the man who takes his place after 22 years
‘I have a high opinion of him, but I do not want to influence the decision on the next manager,’ he said.
Wenger revealed some team news ahead of Arsenal’s European clash on Thursday night, admitting that Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mohamed Elneny would both be missing.
‘Mkhitaryan is not back in the squad, and Mohamed Elneny is out certainly for the rest of the season. He has a little, little chance to play against Huddersfield. He will be available for Egypt at the World Cup, but probably not again for Arsenal.’
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