Craig Shakespeare to hold talks with Leicester owners over vacant managerial position after Hull clash

The caretaker boss currently remains in pole position to replace the dismissed Claudio Ranieri on a permanent basis at the club

A number of high-profile names have been linked to the Leicester job alongside Shakespeare (Getty)

Craig Shakespeare will hold talks with Leicester City’s owners after Saturday’s game against Hull to discuss replacing the dismissed Claudio Ranieri as manager.

The caretaker boss has taken over first-team responsibilities following the Italian's sacking last week and currently remains in pole position to take over on a permanent basis at the club.

Shakespeare won his first game against Liverpool at the King Power Stadium on Monday night and should he secure another three points on Saturday it could make it difficult for the club's Thai owners to ignore him as a candidate.

Although Shakespeare refused to get carried away in his Friday press conference, he confirmed he would be having talks with the owners next week about the vacancy.

"I sat down on Wednesday with the vice-chairman and the director of football and it was just a chat to ask if I would take the game for this weekend, which I agreed to do," he said.

"I've been asked just to take the next game and we will sit down again after that. The remit is to prepare the team for Hull and see if we can get the same result (as against Liverpool) and then we'll sit down after that, and I'm quite comfortable with that.

"I'm being kept informed and I'm quite comfortable with what I've been asked to do."

Asked if he would like the job permanently, Shakespeare said: "I've enjoyed working with the players but results are the be-all and end-all and the focus is on Hull. We must put back-to-back wins together.

"I think it's for other people to decide what qualities I've got and whether they are the right qualities."

Since Ranieri’s surprise dismissal, which has polarised the world of football, a number of high-profile managers have been linked to the vacant Leicester position, including the likes of former England manager Roy Hodgson, Guus Hiddink and Roberto Mancini.

But Shakespeare remained tight-lipped about such speculation, arguing it was not his position to discuss who the club’s owners might be speaking to.

"I don't know and I'll leave that to the powers that be," he said when he was asked if he knew who was under consideration.

"I think it's pure speculation, a lot of names have been mentioned and I wouldn't want to speculate on names."

Shakespeare did confirm that the side will be flying out to a warm-weather training abroad on Sunday and will return three days later on Wednesday.

“We will take the players away for a few days from Sunday to Wednesday. It has been in the pipeline for two, three months. But we haven’t had chance with Africa Cup of Nations and the Derby game [FA Cup replay].


 Leicester secured their first league win of 2017 against Liverpool on Monday 
 (Getty Images)

“It is a bit of warm-weather training. I am pleased with that. The owners have wanted to do that for a while. It is a good opportunity for us to get together as a team.”

Shakespeare heads into Saturday’s game against Hull with a “clean bill of health”, though vice-captain Kasper Schmeichel is currently suffering from a minor ankle injury but is expected to play.

Leicester are in search of their first back-to-back wins in the Premier League all season as they welcome Marco Silva’s Tigers to the King Power Stadium.

Additional reporting by PA