Ljungberg unsure how long he’ll be at Arsenal helm, with future talk branded ‘irrelevant’

Freddie Ljungberg is unsure as to how long he will remain in interim charge of Arsenal, with the Swede focused on the present and steadying a ship that had started to sink under Unai Emery.

The Gunners bowed to pressure on Friday when relieving an under-fire Spanish coach of his managerial duties, with the decision taken to head in a different direction.

Various candidates have been mooted as potential successors to Emery, but for now, it is former fan favourite Ljungberg calling the shots – as he has been promoted from an assistant post.

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No timescale has been put on his caretaking duties, with it yet to be determined how long Arsenal will take to find a new boss or who they will turn to.

“(There’s) no indication of how long or how short,” Ljungberg told Sky Sports when quizzed on his role.

“They just said: ‘Concentrate on the next game and do what you can and we’ll see from there’.

“I’m focused on the players and the game tomorrow and doing the best I can.”

When pressed on whether he would like to be in contention for a permanent appointment, Ljungberg said his full focus is locked on a trip to Norwich on Sunday.

He added: “For me, it’s about the team and the club, I try to concentrate for the future, we have a game tomorrow.

“Maybe there’s a few other games. That’s what I look at. The other stuff is totally irrelevant.”

On whether he wants to be a manager one day, the 42-year-old said: “We’ll see in the future. At the moment, I’m learning the trade.

“I’m trying to do everything I can to prep myself. It’s an honour that the club thinks I’m ready to take this big responsibility but at the moment I’m going game by game.”

Among the decisions that Ljungberg will have to make at Carrow Road is who to pass the armband to.

Granit Xhaka was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy earlier this season, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang taking on the responsibility.

Asked who he intends to make skipper, Ljungberg said: “I’m not going to try to make enormous, massive changes. 

“I’m going to keep those things as it is, there has been so much, so many discussions in the media… so many discussions within the club. 

“I’m going to concentrate on how we can play and what we’ll do on the football pitch.”

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