Craig Shakespeare Manager of Leicester City Until End of Season

Craig Shakespeare was on Sunday named as the replacement of Claudio Ranieri and will be in-charge of reigning Premier League champions Leicester City until the end of the ongoing season. The decision came after Shakespeare won his first two games in-charge as caretaker boss of the faltering Premier League champions. Shakespeare, previously a Leicester coach, took over after Claudio Ranieri was sacked last month -- less than a year after the Italian manager guided the 5,000/1 outsiders to the most improbable Premier League title triumph.

But under Ranieri the Foxes suffered a major slump this season and were just a point above the bottom three when the club's Thai owners sacked the veteran manager.

However, Shakespeare's first two games in charge produced 3-1 wins over both Liverpool and Hull City as the champions moved three points clear of the relegation zone and into 15th place in the table.

"Leicester City Football Club is pleased to confirm Craig Shakespeare as its first-team manager for the rest of the 2016/17 season," said a club statement.

First-team and goalkeeping coach Mike Stowell remains on board, as do the rest of the backroom staff.

BREAKING: #lcfc is pleased to confirm Craig Shakespeare as its First Team Manager for the rest of the 2016/17 season. More follows... pic.twitter.com/CAqr5NPLiL

— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 12, 2017

Leicester's first match since the 53-year-old Shakespeare's elevation will be Tuesday's Champions League last 16 second leg tie at home to Sevilla, where the Foxes will look to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg in Spain.

"Craig's skills as a coach and the high regard in which he is held by everyone at the club were well known to us," said Leicester vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.

"We always knew the team would be in good hands when we asked him to take charge a fortnight ago.

"He has initiated the type of positive response that we hoped change would bring, showing great leadership qualities and composure under considerable pressure to produce two very important results. We have asked him to continue to lead the team this season and we are very happy that he has accepted."

Shakespeare joined Leicester as assistant to then manager Nigel Pearson in 2008, spending a season with Hull City in 2010/11 before the Srivaddhanaprabha family brought him back to the club as part of Pearson's reappointment in 2011.

Here's more on the news that Craig Shakespeare will take charge of #lcfc until the end of the campaign https://t.co/Qbr3b62NXM pic.twitter.com/XrOn1pRZir

— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 12, 2017

He stayed at the King Power Stadium following Ranieri's arrival in 2015 and was a key lieutenant to the former Chelsea manager during Leicester's maiden English title success last season.

(With inputs from AFP)