Jose Mourinho has paid tribute to Italian manager Claudio Ranieri after he was unceremoniously sacked as Leicester boss
Claudio Ranieri was given his termination orders by the Leicester City board on Thursday due to the inconsistent form of the Foxes in the 2016/17 Premier League campaign. The announcement by the club sent shock waves around the footballing stratosphere as the the board had recently declared their ‘unwavering support’ for the 65-year-old.
However, just 16 days on from the announcement, the club hierarchy were made to swallow their words as they chose to opt ways with the most successful manager in the history of Leicester City.
Club statement: #lcfc and Claudio Ranieri part company: https://t.co/C5qnSVxDgU pic.twitter.com/VqlHy1I6Ut
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 23, 2017
The Italian, against all odds, lifted the Premier League with the Foxes in the 2015/16 season, and were expected to build on that performance to have another fruitful campaign in England’s top flight.
That is not what has happened, as after 25 games, the defending champions find themselves one point shy from the dreaded relegation zone. In fact, they have failed to score a single goal in the new year, leaving their fans with all the more reasons to worry.
In the wake of Ranieri’s sacking, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has paid a tribute to the charismatic Italian coach. The Portuguese, himself, knows the way Ranieri is feeling, as he was also sacked in the following season after winning the Premier League with Chelsea.
Mourinho wrote, via his Instagram account: “Champion of England and FIFA manager of the year…Sacked. That’s the new football, Claudio. Keep smiling amico. Nobody can delete the history you wrote.”
The former Real Madrid boss moved to Old Trafford this summer and has winged in a number of changes to the Red Devils setup. He has paid top dollar to recruit Paul Pogba in the summer, and has signed a proven goal scorer in Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Together, the duo have contributed to the success of the Manchester outfit, as they now find themselves only four points off second placed Manchester City. This weekend they will not be participating in the league as they are geared to take on Southampton at Wembley in the EFL Cup final.
Leicester, on the other hand, have a tough home game against Liverpool at the King Power Stadium. The Reds are currently in fifth position, and will be looking to close the cap between themselves and the chasing and pack.
