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Former Leicester midfielder Robbie Savage has told ESPN FC that his old club picked the wrong candidate when they named Claudio Ranieri as their new manager last month. Italian tactician Ranieri was something of a surprise choice to succeed the sacked Nigel Pearson as Leicester boss, with Savage suggesting the selection of the former Chelsea manager has to be seen as something of a gamble. Savage believes his former Foxes teammate and the current Bolton manager Neil Lennon was the ideal candidate to take over the club's manager, but he is keen to give Ranieri time to prove himself before passing a judgment on his suitability for the post. "I would have gone for Neil Lennon personally," Savage told ESPN FC at the launch of BT Sport's Premier League coverage for the new season. "In the end, they have picked Ranieri. He is a big name, but is he the right fit? Time will tell if it works. "My old Leicester manager Martin O'Neill was being linked with the job as well and he could have been a great choice. I'd have love to see Martin back in the Premier League, but he has a job to do with the Republic of Ireland right now and he is not the type to walk away from a challenge before it has finished. "Ranieri is the man Leicester have gone for and the fans have to get behind him now. I'm sure they will because we saw the support up at Leicester for home matches in the final weeks of the season and it helped to carry them towards what was an incredible escape from the relegation zone. "How will they get on this season? I think they will survive -- just. I hope they do anyway. It's a bold move to hire Ranieri and as an ex-Leicester player, I just hope it works." Savage started his career as a Manchester United trainee and he is backing the Old Trafford club to emerge as the big winners in this Premier League season. "I think Manchester United are the slight favourites to win the title," Savage added. "They have bought well this summer and the whole season could come down to which of the top teams have injuries to key players. "If Wayne Rooney gets injured for United, they will have a problem. The same goes for Man City if they lose [Sergio] Aguero. Arsenal need to keep Alexis Sanchez fit and Chelsea have to hope Diego Costa steers clear of injuries. "So while I reckon we will have the same top four as last season, the order will probably be decided by which teams get the best luck with fitness issues."
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