Leicester are set to appoint Manchester City assistant coach Enzo Maresca as the club’s new manager.
The 43-year-old was part of Pep Guardiola’s team that helped guide the Manchester side to a historic Treble, including the Champions League when they defeated Inter Milan in the final.
Maresca will take over from Dean Smith after agreeing terms with Leicester and is set to sign a three-year-deal with the Foxes. The official announcement has still to be made but Mail Sport understands the Foxes are no longer looking at alternatives.
His move to the King Power Stadium will bring to an end his second stint as a coach at the Manchester club, having previously worked with the Under-23s.
With the Italian set to take charge of the Foxes, who is he? Who has he managed before? Mail Sport provides the answers below.
Leicester are set to appoint Manchester City assistant coach Enzo Maresca is set as the club’s new manager
Maresca was a part of the Manchester City set up that won the Champions League against Inter Milan
Who is Enzo Maresca?
Born in Pontecagnano Faiano, Maresca began his career as a player.
After playing for AC Milan and Cagliari at youth level, the Italian made his senior breakthrough at West Brom.
Over two seasons at the Hawthornes, Maresca played over 40 appearances, scoring five goals.
The Italian moved back to the Serie A with Juventus in 2000 and was then sent out on loan to Bologna.
He was then sent out on loan to Piacenza ahead of the 2002-03 season. In that season, he made 31 appearances and scored nine goals.
After being released by Juventus in 2004, he went on to play one season with Fiorentina, before playing for the likes of Sevilla, Olympiacos, Malaga, Sampdoria, Palermo and Hellas Verona.
The highlight of his playing career came in 2006 when he scored twice for Sevilla against Middlesbrough in the UEFA Cup final.
His brief spell with Verona would be his last season as a professional footballer. In 2017, the Italian confirmed his retirement from football.
Maresca represented Italy at youth level. However, was never capped at senior level.
Maresca played for the likes of Sevilla, Olympiacos, Malaga, Sampdoria and Palermo
Who has he managed?
After finishing his career at Hellas Verona in 2017, Maresca was appointed as an assistant manager at Ascoli.
He would then spend one season at Sevilla and a year at Premier League side West Ham, before he was appointed as head coach of Manchester City’s development side in 2020.
That season, he would win the club’s first-ever Premier League 2 title with the Manchester side, finishing 14 points clear of second place Chelsea.
His season with the Development Squad would see the Italian be offered the full-time role with Serie B side Parma.
The Italian side were relegated from the top division the season before, finishing rock bottom on 20 points.
Maresca was tasked with getting the side back into the Serie A. In a squad that contained Gianluigi Buffon, the Italian manager failed to impress.
After 14 games in charge of the club, Maresca was sacked in November, having only won four games.
While his record at Parma won’t convince many Leicester fans, the Italian’s playing style at Manchester City’s development side caught the eye of many fans.
Enzo Maresca enjoyed a successful spell with the Manchester City Development Squad before joining Parma in 2021
The side were known for their attacking play, scoring 79 goals in 24 games. Maresca adopted a 4-1-4-1 formation, but would change to 4-3-3 whenever his side were attacking.
In June 2022, the Italian was appointed as the assistant coach to Pep Guardiola after replacing Juanma Lillo, who became manager of Al-Sadd.
During the 2022-23 season, Maresca was a key member of their coaching set-up and helped guide the club to their third league title in a row as well as an FA Cup when they defeated rivals Manchester United in the final.
The Italian was also in the dugout for Manchester City’s triumph in the Champions League when they defeated Inter Milan in the final.
