By CALEB SONNELAND

Having been out of managerial action since late February, Claudio Ranieri has found work yet again — in Milan, Italy.

Last year's Serie A runner-up Inter Milan has decided to give the Italian journeyman a shot with the Nerazzurri after the club parted ways with Gian Piero Gasperini yesterday.

Gasperini failed to secure a single win in five matches, losing four and leaving the club languishing in 18th place in Serie A.

Ranieri has promised to "wake up the team" in order to get the players firing on all cylinders. He'll have his first chance to do so against Bologna on Saturday and then CSKA Moscow next week in a Champions League fixture.

Signing a two-year deal, Ranieri brings loads of experience to Inter, having previously managed clubs like Napoli, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Fiorentina, Roma, Juventus as well as others. 

He will attend and run the Inter practice today and be presented to the media on Friday.

Here are some other stories to keep your Thursday rolling along:

RANGNICK STEPS DOWN FROM SCHALKE POST

Ralf Rangnick today stepped down as the manager of the Bundesliga's Schalke with "exhaustion syndrome" cited as the primary reason for doing so.

Having taken over from Felix Magath in March, Rangnick has enjoyed a relatively successful stint as the manager, leading the team to the semi-finals of the Champions League as well as securing the club's fifth German Cup final victory.

However, the 53-year-old discussed his personal health issues with the club this morning and declared that he needs a break from work — assistant coach Seppo Eichkorn will take over on an interim basis.

Schalke currently sits ninth in the Bundesliga after enjoying three victories as well as suffering three losses in its first six matches in league play.

GERRARD TARGETING EPL RETURN

It seems it's been ages since Steven Gerrard last took the field for Liverpool, but last night the club captain finally made his reappearance in Liverpool's 2-1 Carling Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Having been out since March with a nagging groin issue, Gerrard has been a peripheral figure for the better part of the second Kenny Dalglish era.  

But after having replaced Luis Suarez in yesterday's match, Gerrard is targeting a swift return to Premier League play, citing that he wishes to be included in the matchday squad against Wolves this weekend.

MOURINHO WORRIED BY MADRID FORM

It isn't often that one hears Jose Mourinho utter the words that he's "worried" about his team's form, but that's exactly what he said about the club's form as of late.

Despite a roaring start to La Liga play, scoring 10 goals in two games, Real has begun to stumble — narrowly beating Dinamo Zagreb, losing 1-0 to Levante and most recently being held to a 0-0 draw with Racing Santander.

With one goal in its last three matches, Mourinho showed concern about the team's form, however did claim that Racing employed some underhanded tactics in its draw with Mourinho's men and didn't come out playing for a win.

BENAYOUN SIDELINED WITH FRESH INJURY

The oft-injured Yossi Benayoun is set for yet another spell on the sidelines, this time for a side strain he sustained in Arsenal's 3-1 win over Shrewsbury in the Carling Cup, a match in which Benayoun netted his first goal for the club.

But it came at a price, as the Israeli tweeted after the game, "Very disappointed as I have a strain and will be out for a week or so."

The injury rules him out of this weekend's clash with Bolton and likely next week's Champions League match against Olympiakos.

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Think Ranieri can turn Inter Milan around? What do you think the manager change at Schalke means for Jermaine Jones? How big of a boost is Gerrard's return for Liverpool? Does Mourinho have a cause for concern at Madrid?

Share your thoughts below.