Ranieri unfazed by criticism

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri is not paying attention to the doubts surrounding his return to the Premier League.

Former Chelsea boss Ranieri signed a three-year deal to replace Nigel Pearson, but his appointment has been met with scepticism by Harry Redknapp and Gary Lineker.

Veteran manager Redknapp said he was surprised Ranieri was able to walk back into the league following his sacking as Greece boss in November, while former England international Lineker branded the Italian's arrival as "uninspiring".

Ranieri responded to the criticism on Monday, telling reporters: "I understand but I will work hard to make changes.

"I respect everybody but now my problem is not Lineker or Redknapp, my focus is on Leicester.

"Look, for me work is very important. I love my job, I want to improve all my players, I want to improve everything.

"I think it is good when the field speaks - the games, the points we achieve, are important. Other things are not important.

"Also in Greece I wanted to build something but it's difficult to build on the sand."