Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho made his feelings clear on Claudio Ranieri’s sacking with a brilliant tribute to the Italian tactician.
The Portuguese tactician attended his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the EFL Cup final against Southampton on Sunday. However, he did so with a noticeable difference as the training shirt he was wearing had ‘CR’ emblazoned on the front of it.
Now unless Mourinho has suddenly just decided to show how much he likes Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s a clear show of support for Ranieri after the former Leicester City boss was sacked on Thursday.
Just nine months on from guiding the Foxes to the Premier League title, the Italian is now out of work after struggling this season. Leicester sit just a point above the relegation zone ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, and so clearly results haven’t been good enough.
Nevertheless, many criticised the club’s decision to sack him after what he did last year, and clearly Mourinho is with them as he had earlier shown his support for his former foe on Instagram with a touching post.
They’ve had their differences in the past, but ultimately Mourinho has spoken previously about the unfair nature of the job for managers when they lose their job, and he is evidently bitterly disappointed to see Ranieri go.
“My words is my shirt with his name,” he told reporters. “It’s my little homage to somebody that wrote the most beautiful history of the Premier League. Somebody who would probably deserve the Leicester stadium to be named ‘Claudio Ranieri’, and he’s sacked.”