David Moyes reckons Leicester sacking Claudio Ranieri will boost Sunderland’s relegation fight

DAVID MOYES reckons Leicester sacking Claudio Ranieri could boost Sunderland’s own hopes of staying up.

The relegation-threatened Foxes brutally axed the Italian yesterday just nine months after he oversaw their astonishing title triumph.

And Moyes hopes Leicester’s callous decision to dispense of Ranieri backfires.

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Sunderland are currently bottom of the table but only two points adrift of the 17th-placed Premier League champions.

Asked if sacking Ranieri will give Leicester a bounce, Moyes said: “I actually hope it works the opposite way for them.

“I think they had a really good manager, and sometimes changing manager doesn’t always work. “There is not big proof that it works.
“I’m hoping that in a way they become a bit rudderless - they are out there looking for a manager when at this time of the season you want to be stable, keeping things right, picking up the points.

“I’m really disappointed for Claudio because he’s a good guy.
“He did an incredible job to win the league.”
For now, though, Moyes has his own issues to contend with at Sunderland.

And he has revealed that midfielder Lee Cattermole could miss the rest of the season after picking up an Achilles injury, having just started running again after hip surgery.
Moyes said: “Lee is seeing a specialist in London now, I don’t think it will necessarily be a quick return.”