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Wenger slams Moyes's sacking

London - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he feared for the future of his trade in England after David Moyes was sacked by struggling champions Manchester United.

The 50-year-old Moyes was sacked by United on Tuesday after a dismal 10-month tenure in which the reigning champions slumped to seventh place in the Premier League, denying them a place in next season's Champions League.

Wenger, now the Premier League's longest-serving manager after taking charge of north London side Arsenal in 1996, said the high attrition rate among managers in England would ultimately be detrimental to the standard of coaching.

"If you want quality people in any job, you need to give them time to develop and to become good, or people with the quality will not come into our job any more," Wenger said Friday.

"The average (job life) expectancy of an English professional club at the moment is 11 months, and that is quite unstable.

"Every guy who is married, has a family, will have a big hesitancy before he goes into that game," the 64-year-old Frenchman added.

- 'Coaching quality under threat' -

"That means the quality of the coaching and the quality of the managing is under threat," insisted Wenger, whose Arsenal side are currently in the top four of the Premier League and have reached the final of this season's FA Cup where they will play Hull.

Meanwhile Wenger said Arsenal were no closer to agreeing a contact extension for defender Bacaray Sagna.

The 31-year-old France international's current Gunners deal expires at the end of the season and Sanga has been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium, with Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan among the clubs said to interested in signing Sagna.

But Wenger, yet to sign a new contract himself, was optimistic Sagna, who joined Arsenal from French club Auxerre in 2007, could be persuaded to stay put, with the Gunners reported to have offered the player a deal for two more years.

"At the moment they (talks) are not progressing. We know what we want from him, he knows what is on the table and that is where we are," said Wenger.

"The ball is not in our camp anymore, it is in his camp, and he needs to come back to us."

Arsenal are at home to Newcastle on Monday where they will look to stay ahead of Everton in the race for a top four finish and the accompanying reward of playing in next season's Champions League.

Gunners captain Thomas Vermaelen is expected to return back from a hamstring problem but midfielder Abou Diaby will not be rushed back following knee injury after suffering a groin problem playing for the Under-21s in midweek.

It was his first action since sustaining a cruciate ligament injury against Swansea in March last year."

"Diaby played one half (for the Under-21s). How far away he is is difficult to say, but he had a little groin problem after the game so will not be available for Monday," said Wenger.

Defender Kieran Gibbs is still sidelined by a hamstring problem, while England midfielder Jack Wilshere continues his recovery from a foot injury.

"Jack is progressing well. He is is still on target to be with our team in the last couple of games," Wenger said.

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