Cape Town - Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has paid tribute to Claudio Ranieri after the Italian was sacked by struggling Leicester City.
Ranieri was dismissed by relegation-threatened Leicester on Thursday night just 10 months after guiding the Foxes to the greatest achievement in their history by lifting the Premier League title.
Leicester's Thai owners felt they needed to make a change in the dug-out to preserve their Premier League status, with only a solitary point separating them from the relegation zone.
Like Ranieri, Mourinho was fired by Chelsea last season just months after the Stamford Bridge outfit won the title.
And in a post on Instagram, Mourinho expressed his sympathy with his fellow former Chelsea and Inter manager.
“CHAMPION OF ENGLAND and FIFA MANAGER of THE YEAR. Sacked,” said Mourinho.
“That's the new football Claudio. Keep smiling AMICO. Nobody can delete the history you wrote.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United will face Southampton on Sunday in the League Cup final (kick off is at 18:00).
Leicester welcomes Premier League title hopefuls Liverpool on Monday evening (kick off is at 22:00).