Arsene Wenger reaffirmed his desire to be left out of the process of selecting his successor but suggested Luis Enrique is of the calibre required to take the soon-to-be vacant Arsenal job.
The former Barcelona manager is the favourite to replace Wenger with Arsenal holding an advantage over any other suitors for Luis Enrique in Raul Sanllehi.
The Gunners head of football relations worked with Luis Enrique at the Camp Nou and Sanllehi will play a prominent role in picking Wenger’s successor alongside chief executive Ivan Gazidis and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat.
I have a high opinion of Luis Enrique,” Wenger was quoted by Standard Sport. “I do not want to influence the job for the next manager but of course I have a high opinion of him.”
He added that speculation over who would take his job when he leaves at the end of the season was “not strange”.
The Frenchman also revealed he had no hand in deciding to leave the club.
“The timing was not really my decision,” added the Arsenal boss, who added that he did not envisage retiring from the game.
“At the moment I do my job, keep my routine and focus on what I have to do every day,” added the Frenchman, who is targeting his first European trophy.
“At the moment I work like ever. You are never sure you do the right thing, but life is interesting because you have to deal with different situations. People want to know what the future is about, for me that is completely normal.
“I honestly don’t know what I will do. Will I take a little rest? I will continue to work, that is for sure. At the moment I’m not ready to commit to anything else.”
