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Danny Simpson backs 'top coach' Craig Shakespeare for Leicester City job

Leicester defender Danny Simpson has backed Craig Shakespeare to become the club's permanent manager.

The champions beat Liverpool 3-1 on Monday night, four days after the sacking of title-winning boss Claudio Ranieri, to lift themselves out of the Premier League relegation zone.

They host fellow strugglers Hull on Saturday, with caretaker manager Shakespeare aiming to cement his chances of getting the job.

Former England manager Roy Hodgson is one of several well-known bosses to have been linked with Leicester.

Shakespeare has backing from within the club and the squad, and Simpson reckons the 53-year-old is a strong contender to land the role full-time.

He said: "I can't see why not, but it's the chairman's decision. It's up to him and he owns the club, he is passionate about the club. Those decisions are nothing to do with us but, for me, he [Shakespeare] has been really good.

"Since day one he has helped me a lot. He is a top coach, a top guy and he has taken it on naturally. He has kept it simple and told us what he wanted to do, which was simple and basic, and we've done that so let's hope we can carry it on for him.

"He's always been in between whoever the boss is and us, so he's been good. He's taken it on well and it must have been tough for him. Everyone in the dressing room and at the club proved a little point [against Liverpool]."

Jamie Vardy scored twice and Danny Drinkwater netted a brilliant volley as the Foxes ended their wait for a top-flight win and goal in 2017.

They moved two points clear of the bottom three, having dropped in for the first time this season over the weekend, but Simpson admitted they will only know if the decision to axe Ranieri was the right one come May.

"We don't know that until the end of the season," he said. "We don't know if the manager [Ranieri] was there [on Monday] whether we would have won.

"It's all ifs and buts. For me, Claudio was fantastic, he revived my career. I learned a lot from him and I said that to him. It happened, it was the chairman's decision and we went out there and looked back to our old selves."

But Simpson reiterated none of the squad tried to get Ranieri the sack after weekend reports of meetings with the club's Thai owners.

"No, and it's not nice to hear that," he said. "The chairman is his own man and he makes his decisions. All we have to do is play football. We know we haven't played how we can -- we're first to admit that -- but we have to carry on. Leicester carries on."