There is no bad blood between Jose Mourinho and I, insists Claudio Ranieri

22 September 2016 21:30

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri insists he has buried the hatchet with Jose Mourinho and any issues are "prehistoric".

The Foxes go to Manchester United on Saturday with Ranieri and Old Trafford boss Mourinho having had a rocky relationship in the past.

Mourinho has previously criticised Ranieri for his achievements - before the Italian won the Premier League last season - and his use of English.

Ranieri has mainly remained quiet, but did defend himself in 2008 when he said he did not need trophies to be sure of himself.

But the Leicester boss said any problems are behind them and their history must remain in the past ahead of their second meeting in weeks after United's 2-1 Community Shield win last month.

"Yes, but it's prehistoric, not now," he said. "It (their relationship) is fantastic, very good, no problems, why?

"Do you remember in the summer when we had the Soccer Aid, I managed the Rest of the World team against Jose's English side.

"It (the issues) were a long time ago, I'm okay. All managers have a lot of jobs to do. It's normal, he's a great manager and a fantastic person.

"Maybe he has to offer me a good red wine. I love red wine and if he offers I will go and drink it with him (after Saturday's game).

"Mourinho is a fantastic manager, intelligent, clever."

Leicester are two points behind United in the Premier League, with Mourinho having lost three straight games in all competitions, including a derby defeat to Manchester City, before Wednesday's 3-1 EFL Cup win at Northampton.

Mourinho has been chastised for public criticism of his players, but Ranieri felt it could be a ploy to get a reaction from his squad.

He added: "Every manager has his book, sometimes you need to do this. Sometimes, maybe not here but at another team, also I push to provoke the reaction of the player. There's always a psychology. I don't know what Jose did, so it's difficult for me to say. Also, if I know I don't tell you!"

Meanwhile, Leicester could be without goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after he suffered an muscle strain in training on Thursday and will be assessed ahead of the game.

Source: PA-WIRE