Watford manager Claudio Ranieri believes he can set the record for the oldest coach to lead a team in Premier League. The Italian will lead the English club for the first time on Saturday in the match against Liverpool. Meanwhile 4 days later, Ranieri will celebrate his 70th birthday.
The record for the oldest coach to have run a club in the Premier League is currently held by Roy hodgson. The latter resigned from running Crystal Palace in May, just 2 months before turning 74 years old.
When asked if he could continue his work, as long as Hodgson did, the Italian replied:
"Why not? I'm still young. I do not feel the age. Football is my life. "If I feel good, if I still feel emotions, if I feel I still have the energy to give to my players, I want to keep going."
Other coaches who have dedicated their entire lives to football are Sir Alex Ferguson, Neil Warnock and Sir Bobby Robson.
Meanwhile, although the Italian is well acquainted with the Pozzo family, which owns Watford, he also knows that they are ruthless when it comes to getting rid of managers who do not meet the club's standards. Since Watford's new owners took over the club in 2012, the board has replaced a total of 14 coaches.
But Ranieri is aware of this, saying that in Italian football, this is normal:
"In Italy this is normal. Only in England was it unusual. But even here, many clubs have changed in this regard. "
The technician has been offered a 2-year contract to prove himself at the helm of Watford. Recall that Ranieri won the Premier League title with Leicester City in the 2015-16 season.
