Ferguson admitted he was "in agony" watching the end of Chelsea's 1-1 draw at Arsenal on Sunday which confirmed United as Premiership champions for the ninth time.

United have a seven-point lead over second-placed Chelsea with two games remaining after they beat Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday and Jose Mourinho's side could only draw in north London.

It means Ferguson can take his team to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night having already reclaimed the title from the Blues, who had won it for the last two seasons.

After the title triumph was confirmed Ferguson told MUTV: "For Cristiano, Wayne and the lads who have not won a championship medal before, it is fantastic for them and hopefully it develops and moves them on a bit."

The Scot hopes to continue at the helm for some time yet, admitting his aborted retirement several years ago was a mistake.

"It's easy to retire. It was a quick decision. I did it years ago and regretted it within days.

"I feel invigorated by the young players at the club and players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Neville, Paul Scholes turning out every week for me. It gives me the right vibes.

"I don't know how long I'll last now but I'm enjoying it."

Ferguson admits the domestic league is now United's priority whereas the Champions League had been more important years ago.

"The Premiership is such a competitive league with the pressure on big clubs to do well, and that means it is a priority for us," he said.

"Some years ago I had an obsession with winning in Europe but I think that's been overtaken by winning the Premier League. To win it is a big achievement.

"It's the priority but I do wish we'd got to the (Champions League) final in Athens."

Regarding the title race, Ferguson added: "It's not easy to keep a lead for six months or something knowing Chelsea are on your coat-tails.

"The crucial part was the resilience of the players when we started getting all those injuries. Credit to the players who dug in every week for us. It's been a fantastic effort by them."

Asked how the triumph rates with the previous eight, Ferguson said: "All of them were good.

"Maybe the fact that for two years Chelsea dominated the Premier League and we had a big job to do to catch them (makes this one special).

"The key was a good start to the season and we did that very well. It gave us momentum and from that moment on we did not lose it."