Leicester manager’s exit reveals U’s strange record

Manager Enzo Maresca’s departure from Leicester City to Chelsea has revealed a strange record involving Oxford United.

Maresca’s exit means it will be the first time since 1985 that a second-tier champion will have a new manager on the opening day of the next top-flight season, according to football statistics expert account OptaJoe.

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In the 1984/85 campaign, the U’s were promoted to Division One under Jim Smith, with the club winning back-to-back league titles.

Winning back-to-back championships in the third and second tier had never been done before by any club and has not been achieved since.

Despite guiding United to the first time in the club’s history, Smith resigned as manager in the summer of 1985 and was replaced by Maurice Evans, who had been the U’s chief scout and youth development officer for the previous 18 months . .

Evans led United to their famous Milk Cup victory in 1986, beating Smith’s Queens Park Rangers 3-0 in the final at Wembley.