Fergie not eyeing retirement

Sir Alex Ferguson fears that giving up football will harm his prospects of enjoying a long life.

The Manchester United manager's enthusiasm shows no sign of waning as his side prepare to bring the curtain down on a domestic season that saw them claim a record 19th top-flight triumph.

"I have no plans to retire, I must say that and (my wife) Cathy is delighted. She would have thrown me out, " he told MUTV at the club's annual awards ceremony. "The salient point is that whilst my health is good, carry on. You hear many stories of people who come off the treadmill and their system breaks down. I don't want that happening to me."

Ferguson takes as much pleasure from winning the Barclays Premier League title this season as he did for the first time 18 years ago.

And the Scot rails at some of the criticism his players have had to endure during the campaign.

He said: "It is no easier now than it was in 1993. It is a great achievement. Everyone has shared in it. I enjoyed it as much as my first title. It becomes more of a challenge the longer you are at the club.

"If we are not scoring 10 goals every game, we have our critics. The expectation is high. But it is high from us too, and the fans. They want to see their best.

"Yes, you could criticise a lot of our away performances. They have been disappointing. But our home form has been fantastic. We have scored more goals than anyone else. It is hard to criticise that kind of form."