Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has put his feud with Arsene Wenger to one side and claimed that he wants to see the Frenchman remain in charge of Arsenal beyond this season.
Long-serving boss Wenger has yet to make a formal announcement over his future in North London, despite his current deal having just one month left to run.
Mourinho, who has accused Wenger of being a "specialist in failure" in the past, believes that his counterpart deserves to decide when his Arsenal career is over in much the same way as Sir Alex Ferguson, rather than being shoved.
"I feel sympathy for all the other managers because we live through the same pain. Everyone," he told reporters. "Football has changed. Now it is a game that makes it impossible for managers to stay in their position for a long time.
"Football now means if you don't get success then you are gone - so yes, I feel bad for other managers. When you are at one club for 20 years it is impossible to have success every single year. Even Sir Alex will tell you that.
"The truth is that I hope Wenger keeps his job at Arsenal. I really do. I hope that the club trusts him to make things better. I think that Arsene is probably the last example of a manager who brings stability to a club over such a long time.
"Sir Alex was the same at United and he was able to leave when he knew it was time to leave. I hope that it is the same with Wenger. Why not?"
Mourinho takes his United side to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with both sides battling for fourth place in the Premier League.
Daniel Lewis
