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Arsene Wenger claims stepping into the manager’s hot-seat at Arsenal was like becoming a priest.

But despite taking his Gunners' vows way back in 1996, boss Wenger admitted he will have to make a “lucid and objective” decision on his future this summer.

The 67-year-old was talking after Luis Enrique announced he was quitting as Barcelona manager at the end of the season because a job he only got appointed to in 2014 has left him exhausted.

Wenger, despite being more than 20 years older than Enrique, made it clear he would like to stay on as Arsenal manager, but is not oblivious to the level of criticism ahead of another crunch week.

“Look at me!” he laughed, when asked about his Nou Camp counterpart admitting he is worn out after less than three seasons in the Catalan giants' hot-seat. “I am a specialist in masochism.

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“That’s what I always say to all the young people who want to go into this job: 'Are you ready to sacrifice your life?’

"It’s like a priest — you’re a football priest. Football becomes your life. Every manager will tell you that.

"You have to be fit, of course. I run every day. I still play football. If you [the media] have a game at the end of the season, I will play. And, if you play full-back, I still think I can still be a winger against you!

“What I can say, yes, it’s very demanding. It’s a sacrifice of your life. You have nothing else happening in your life.

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"To get the best out of people, that is absolutely fantastic. And of course you have disappointments, with people, with results. But it is as well a fantastic opportunity in life to go for what is really great in human beings, to get yourself to the next level always, to improve, to invent yourself, to push your limits further up.”

Wenger knows the next few weeks will go a long way to shaping his future.

Defeat at Liverpool on Saturday could see them slip out of the top four, and a seventh successive Champions League last-16 exit looks inevitable when they entertain Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

MirrorSport understands Wenger is still undecided on his future but there is a growing belief he will go if Arsenal fail to turn their season around and miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time since his initial season in charge.

The one saving grace may be the lack of an obvious replacement.

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There is a two year contract sitting on the table for Wenger but, ultimately, his decision will be final even though he insists otherwise.

But Wenger is not foolish enough to be able to ignore the rumblings from the fans.

He reiterated he will carry on managing, while distancing himself from any Barcelona links, saying: “I have been here for 20 years and I had many times the opportunity to leave so I don’t think I have to convince you that my preference has always been Arsenal.

“But of course I am objective and lucid enough to make the right decision for myself and the club as well.

(Image: Getty)

"The club is free to make the decision it wants and I will respect that.

“I am not looking for jobs in other clubs or jobs off other people, I am focused on me, getting to the next level and trying to improve and always trying to see what you can do better and reinvent yourself and that’s what I try to do. That’s basically it.”

Wenger also did not deny the Mirror's story that he had turned down a £30m-a-year offer from China, but added: “This press conference is about the game at Liverpool, not my future and what I turned down or not down.”