Appleton urges Leicester’s Thai owners to hire British manager

LONDON: Leicester caretaker manager Michael Appleton has urged the club’s Thai owners to hire a British manager to replace Craig Shakespeare.

Appleton is in charge of first-team affairs at the King Power Stadium while the Srivaddhanaprabha family search for the team’s third manager in just eight months.

Shakespeare was sacked on Tuesday with Leicester languishing in the English Premier League relegation zone just two seasons after Claudio Ranieri masterminded their fairytale title triumph.

Dutchman Guus Hiddink and Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti have been linked with the job, but despite Ranieri’s incredible title success, Appleton hopes another homegrown manager gets the job.

Wales manager Chris Coleman, Burnley boss Sean Dyche and former England chief Sam Allardyce are reportedly among the British candidates.

Manchester-born Appleton, brought in by Shakespeare as assistant manager in June, said: “I’ll be an absolute hypocrite if I said any differently. That was one of the reasons why I came here, although the biggest was Craig.

“I walked away from a stable environment at Oxford but I felt like an opportunity like this might not come around again as working in the Premier League is obviously a pull.

“One of the things I say is that there is a lack of opportunities for British coaches at the top end of the game, so if it does go to a British coach I wish them all the best.”

Leicester have won only one Premier League match this season, but Appleton, who will be in charge for today’s clash at Swansea, feels whoever gets the job will inherit a good squad.

“Whoever gets the opportunity to come in and take this group of players, it’s a good dressing room, there’s some very good players, it’s very appealing,” he said.