Claudio Ranieri was greeted by hundreds of Roma supporters as he returned from a meeting with club owner Dan Friedkin in London to accept his third stint as coach.

At least 200 fans waited for Ranieri to emerge from his plane at Fiumicino airport, where they draped a Roma scarf over his shoulders.

The 73-year-old had announced his retirement in the summer after leading Cagliari to promotion from Serie B and then securing their Serie A status.

However, the call of his beloved Giallorossi lured him back to the dugout, where he worked from September 2009 to February 2011 before returning as caretaker coach from March to June 2019.

He is the fourth coach to be sacked this calendar year, with Jose Mourinho sacked in January, Daniele De Rossi in September and Ivan Juric lasting less than two months.

Ranieri also spoke to the ANSA news agency at the London airport, where he had met with club owner Dan Friedkin this afternoon.

When it was pointed out to him that this team was in a terrible bother, he replied: “That’s why they called me! Get ready, the cavalry is here!”

His first training session will be on Thursday afternoon at Trigoria.