Friday 22 September 2017 16:26, UK
Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare is "very pleased" to see Nigel Pearson back in football as he accepts manager role with Belgian side OH Leuven.
Pearson returns to football management almost a year since he parted ways with Derby, where he was sacked after nine games following a major falling out with the owners in October 2016.
The former Leicester manager, who brought Shakespeare to the King Power in 2011, will be reunited with the Leicester owners at OH Leuven, after they bought the club in June.
"[I'm] very pleased. Everyone knows my association with Nigel," he said. "We have kept in regular contact, when he picks his phone up.
"It's great to see a real football person back. I'm really pleased for him and also I think it's a great shout on the owners' part in terms of a real good manager and hopefully they can go forward now.
"I know from speaking to the owners how they regard Nigel and I think nothing should surprise you in football.
"I'm just really pleased for Nigel because I think he's had his time away from football. Knowing how he works and what he's capable of - I'm really glad to see him back in."
Shakespeare, who shares a personal relationship with Pearson, revealed at his press conference the 54-year-old had always wanted to work abroad.
"We'd always spoken about that [working abroad], and he had always hinted that he would like the opportunity to go abroad," Shakespeare added.
"He was never one of those managers that wanted to stay in England - he wanted to broaden his horizons and this gives him that opportunity.
"When I spoke to him he sounded really enthusiastic which is really good to hear because as a manager when you're out of work you can often wonder where the next opportunity is going to come from."
