(Reuters) -Italian coach Claudio Ranieri has come out of retirement at the age of 73 to take charge of AS Roma until the end of the season, the Serie A club announced on Thursday, days after sacking Croatian Ivan Juric.
“AS Roma is pleased to announce that Claudio Ranieri is the new Technical Manager of the First Team,” Roma said in a statement.
“At the end of the season he will take on a senior managerial role, he will be an advisor to the ownership for all sporting matters of the club.
“The search for a new coach will continue in the coming months and Claudio will also have a say in this decision.”
Ranieri retired in May, calling time on a career in which he famously led Leicester City to a shock Premier League title in 2016 and coached a host of teams from Europe’s top leagues including Chelsea, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Monaco.
Ranieri, who last coached Cagliari in Serie A, was born in Rome and returns to the club where he began his playing career in 1973.
It is his third stint in charge of Roma, with whom he came agonisingly close to winning the Serie A title in his first spell between 2009 and 2011.
Ranieri replaces Juric, who was sacked after Roma lost 3-2 at home against Bologna on Sunday, leaving them languishing in 12th place in the Serie A standings.
Juric was Roma’s second coach to be fired this season, with Daniele De Rossi being sacked in September.
According to reports in Italian media, Roma found it difficult to sign a replacement for Juric before settling on Ranieri, with former Italy coach Roberto Mancini and Maurizio Sarri among the preferred candidates.
Roma’s next game, after the international break, will be away to league leaders Napoli.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
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