Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made an extraordinary admission by revealing he should have ended his 22-year stint at the club far earlier. Read on the find out what the long serving Frenchman had to say about his former club.

Long-serving former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed he should have left North London a long time before he eventually departed in May after more than two decades.

The Frenchman admitted he made a mistake by staying with the club he once called the love of his life for so long.

In an interview with French media outlet RTL on Tuesday the man who divided the Arsenal fanbase more than any other figure in its long and illustrious history towards the troubled end of his tenure also said he should have left earler as he had neglected his family and hurt a lot of people.

In a bizzare twist to the emotional scenes which played out after it was announced he was to leave the club on April 20 Wenger also likened himself to a prisoner.

When asked in an interview with French outlet RTL what the biggest mistake of his career was, Wenger said: “Perhaps staying at the same club for 22 years.

“I’m someone who likes to move around a lot but I also like a challenge. I’ve been a prisoner of my own challenge at times.

“I regret having sacrificed everything I did because I realise I’ve hurt a lot of people around me. I’ve neglected a lot of people. I’ve neglected my family, I’ve neglected many close ones.”

In a remarkable interview he also questioned whether former Arsenal legends Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, who have both moved into coaching, would be willing to sacrifice themselves to the game to the extent the Frenchman did.

He added; “The obsessed man is selfish in his pursuit of what he loves.

“I’m asked if Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira will be good managers and I always answer ‘yes’.

“They have all the qualities – they’re intelligent, they know football, they have excellent skillset, but do they want to sacrifice what needs to be sacrificed?

“It’s an obsession which bounces around your head day and night. You wake up at 3am thinking about team selection, tactics, formation.”