Roy Hodgson in talks to become the new Leicester City manager after Claudio Ranieri sacking

Hodgson has been out of work since England's dismal Euro 2016 exit

The Premier League champions have held talks with Hodgson (Getty)

Former England and Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has been covertly interviewed for the position of Leicester City’s new manager, report suggest.

Craig Shakespeare is currently in interim charge of the Premier League champions after the sacking of Claudio Ranieri, who led Leicester to the title just nine months ago.

Shakespeare has publicly admitted that he would like to be considered for the position on a full-time basis but Leicester are understood to have made contact with a large number of managers, with the view to taking over at the end of the current season.

Roy Hodgson is one of those who has been sounded out for the job, according to a story in the Daily Mail, with the 69-year-old believed to have met club representatives in south-west London last Friday.

It has been claimed that Hodgson – who has previously managed Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Liverpool and West Brom in the Premier League – is the preferred choice of owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who is eager to appoint an experienced top-flight manager.

Hodgson has been out of work since resigning immediately after England’s humiliating Round of 16 defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016 and it remains to be seen whether the 70-year-old can be tempted back into management with such a challenging and unique challenge.

He had set his heart on the Crystal Palace job after the sacking on Alan Pardew only to be snubbed in favour of his England successor, Sam Allardyce.

Guus Hiddink is another candidate for the job although the Dutchman is believed to have turned down the club’s approach to take over on an interim basis directly after Ranieri’s dismissal. A permanent move to the King Power Stadium could also be unlikely.

Leicester City defender Danny Simpson has meanwhile backed interim manager Craig Shakespeare to take up the role on a permanent basis following Monday's comprehensive victory against Liverpool.

The struggling champions ended their five-game losing streak in the Premier League with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Liverpool in Shakespeare's first game in charge since Claudio Ranieri's sacking.

Simpson has backed Shakespeare for the full-time job (Getty Images)

"I can't see why not, but it's the chairman's decision," Simpson said after the match when asked about Shakespeare's chances of landing the role on a permanent basis.

"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, (Shakespeare) has been really good. 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 and we've done that so let's hope we can carry it on for him."

Simpson also joined striker Jamie Vardy, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and winger Marc Albrighton in playing down media reports suggesting a player revolt led to Ranieri's dismissal.

"It's not nice to hear that. The chairman is his own man and he makes his decisions. All we have to do is play football," the 30-year-old said.

"We know we haven't played how we can - we're first to admit that - but we have to carry on. Leicester carries on."

Leicester, who are 15th in the league table with 12 games remaining, host Hull City on Saturday.

(Additional reporting by Reuters)