Craig Shakespeare named Leicester City manager for rest of the season

Leicester City have named Craig Shakespeare as first-team manager for the remainder of the season, with the club’s hierarchy impressed by the team’s “positive response” since the 53-year-old took caretaker charge almost three weeks ago. Claudio Ranieri’s former No2 was put in charge in the wake of the Italian’s sacking and has convinced the club’s owners he is the right man to steer the club to Premier League safety after wins in the two matches he has so far overseen, against Liverpool and Hull City.

Leicester sounded out several candidates for the manager’s job, including the former England manager Roy Hodgson, but the upturn in form under Shakespeare eased the pressure on the owners and Jon Rudkin, the director of football, to recruit a long-term replacement for Ranieri immediately.

Shakespeare assumed caretaker charge following Ranieri’s exit and guided the club to an impressive 3-1 home win over Liverpool four days later. Leicester then beat Hull by the same scoreline and during that victory, when for the first time this season Leicester came from behind to win, the fans chanted Shakespeare’s name and urged the board to “sign him up”.

Shakespeare’s primary task will be to secure the club’s top-flight status, with the club 15th in the table and only three points above the relegation zone with 10 league matches to play.

Shakespeare, who was part of the Football Association’s coaching set-up for the England senior team under Sam Allardyce, has been part of the Leicester coaching staff for seven of the past nine seasons, working under Ranieri as well as Nigel Pearson. He left West Bromwich Albion to become Pearson’s assistant in 2008 and has been with Leicester ever since, except when he followed Pearson to Hull City in 2010.

He will continue to be supported by the existing backroom staff, including the long-standing goalkeeping coach, Mike Stowell. “Craig’s skills as a coach and the high regard in which he is held by everyone at the club were well-known to us,” the club’s vice-chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, said. “We always knew the team would be in good hands when we asked him to take charge a fortnight ago.

“He has initiated the type of positive response that we hoped change would bring, showing great leadership qualities and composure under considerable pressure to produce two very important results. We have asked him to continue to lead the team this season and we are very happy that he has accepted.”

Shakespeare’s next match in charge will be in the Champions League on Tuesday, when Leicester take on Sevilla in the second leg of their last-16 tie in one of the most high-profile matches in the club’s 133-year history. Leicester currently trail 2-1 on aggregate, although Jamie Vardy’s vital away goal in Spain – the day before Ranieri was relieved of his duties – means the quarter-finals are not out of reach.