Claudio Ranieri has revealed that despite Leicester's poor form prior to his dismissal the news of his sacking still came as a big surprise.
There was a huge outcry when Leicester's owners ruthlessly axed the manager who had led the club to a remarkable Premier League title some nine months before.
It was proving to be a difficult second season for Ranieri. He admits it was tough to approach the campaign with the mindset of being champions despite still being a small club.
'Of course wasn't easy because I knew the second year was totally different,' Ranieri said on Sky Sports.