Football
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Martin O'Neill: I would not leave Republic of Ireland for Leicester City return

Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill has told the BBC he will not replaceĀ the sacked Claudio RanieriĀ at his former club Leicester City.

The Premier League champions are without a manager after the departure of Ranieri, who oversaw their remarkable surge to the title, on Thursday.

Craig Shakespeare is in caretaker charge for Monday's home league clash with Liverpool, but various names have been mentioned as possible candidates to come in as the Italian's permanent successor.

Among them is O'Neill, who won the League Cup with Leicester in both 1997 and 2000.

But when asked about what would happen if Leicester were to contact him and gauge his interest in returning, the 64-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek: "I wouldn't be going.

"I'm enjoying the job here at this moment and we have some big games ahead.''

O'Neill was then asked about the possibility of doing both jobs simultaneously.

"I hadn't even thought about it," he said. "And if that were the case -- not talking about myself, but in general if someone were taking time to do two jobs at the same time -- I think there would be problems if you didn't get the results on both sides."

Nigel Pearson, who Ranieri replaced in the summer of 2015, has been linked with a shock return, while Roberto Mancini and Guus Hiddink have also been mentioned as possible appointments.

It has also been reported that a meeting between Leicester's owners and several players led to Ranieri's sacking, although goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and striker Jamie Vardy have denied those suggestions.

Leicester slipped into the relegation zone on Saturday as Crystal Palace moved out of it with a victory over Middlesbrough.

But O'Neill added: "With the exploits there last year under him, he had the right, in my opinion, to see it through this season.

"It is not as if there are three games left and they are adrift -- a couple of wins will take them out of trouble. So I think it was a really sad day.

"Leicester won the Premier League last year by quite a number of points, a phenomenal achievement that will not be done again in Premier League history.

"The players took an awful lot of credit for that and in many aspects, Ranieri dropped into the background.

"It is only two months ago that I voted for him for the FIFA manager of the year.

"I know that there is pressure on, that clubs have to win football matches, how important it is financially to stay in the Premier League.

"But Leicester, while in trouble, were not the only team losing matches."

O'Neill said the club's owners have the ultimate say but added that "it has been mentioned that some players went to the owners to talk about whatever."

He said: "Why should players go to the owner, even in this day and age? If things are not going well, I think you try and sort that out in the dressing room.

"While the players took an awful lot of credit last year -- and rightly so -- somewhere along the way you have to take a little bit of criticism."

He said he believed there was "something" in the theory that players are becoming harder to manage and added: "It is obviously to do with the money."

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