Tinkerman may travel back to Premiership

Claudio Ranieri is not likely to rush back into management but would consider returning to England at some stage in the future, according to a source close to the Italian.

The former Chelsea manager was sacked yesterday by Valencia after a disappointing run of results culminated in the UEFA Cup holders being dumped out of the competition on penalties by Steaua Bucharest.

It is understood Ranieri had two offers to manage teams in England last summer before accepting a return to Valencia and might opt to come back to these shores, possibly at the end of the season rather than straight away.

The 53-year-old coach is understood to want a break from football for a few months before seeing what options are open to him across Europe.

And despite the way his exit from Chelsea was handled, he is not understood to be bitter and would relish a return to the Premiership.

Ranieri was forced out of Stamford Bridge after he failed to deliver any silverware in the first season of the Roman Abramovich era.

His dismissal was an open secret for months, particularly after Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon made it clear that finishing second in the Premier League would be considered a failure.

Kenyon was photographed discussing “possibilities” with England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson about managing the London club while Ranieri was still at the helm.

When Eriksson agreed a new contract with the Football Association shortly after the meeting with Kenyon became public knowledge, the club turned their attentions to Jose Mourinho – with Ranieri even able to say before he left Chelsea that he knew who his successor would be.