Mourinho Offers Support To Sacked Claudio Ranieri

Jose Mourinho says Claudio Ranieri's Leicester sacking - nine months after winning the Premier League title - is "the new football".

Ranieri's dismissal was announced on Thursday evening as Leicester's owners "put the club's interests above personal sentiment" and opted to replace the only manager to win the title in the club's 133-year history.

The same fate befell Mourinho last season just seven months after he won the league with Chelsea, and the Manchester United boss offered sympathy to his one-time rival in an Instagram post.

He wrote: "Champion of England and FIFA manager of the year. Sacked. That's the new football. Keep smiling amico. Nobody can delete the history you wrote."

Ranieri said in September a history of run-ins with Mourinho was "prehistoric" news and praised the Portuguese as a "fantastic manager, intelligent, clever".

The pair clashed repeatedly during Mourinho's time in Italy with Inter, years after he replaced Ranieri as Chelsea manager in 2004.

Credit: Skysports.com