Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that he is not yet pondering retirement form football despite turning 68 at the end of the month.

Ferguson announced his plan to retire from the game at the back end of the 2001/2002 season but decided against it and has since gone on to lead the Red Devils to a vast array of trophies including a second UEFA Champions League crown in 2008.

The Scot also managed to bring the league crown back to Old Trafford after four years without the title when he pipped Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side to top-spot in 2007.

And the Premier League’s longest-serving manager has revealed that only poor health will cause him to call time on his managerial reign at the Theartre of Dreams.

"My health will dictate how long I stay in the job," he told the Daily Mail.

"That's the only important thing. It is what you have to value most and what you have to protect most because without it you cannot do justice to yourself, your family or whatever you do in life,” he added.

United remain in touch with league leaders Chelsea this term, and despite yesterday's surprise loss at home to Aston Villa, they are only three points off the summit.