Senior players among the Leicester City squad are alleged to have approached owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha to express their concerns over Claudio Ranieri days before he was sacked by the club.

The Italian was shown the door last night less than 12 months after he guided them to a historic Premier League title.

The club find themselves just one point above the relegation zone following a run that has seen them fail to win or score in the league this calendar year.

According to The Mirror, Ranieri's constant tinkering with his starting lineup this season "drove his players mad" and, in the wake of the Foxes' 3-0 defeat to Manchester United earlier this month, one senior player is alleged to have said: "That's it, we don't know what we are doing, we are fucked."

Srivaddhanaprabha is thought to have consulted with a couple of members of the team before letting Ranieri go on Thursday, having made his decision ahead of their 2-1 Champions League defeat at Sevilla on Wednesday.

Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has been installed as the early bookies' favourite to succeed Ranieri at the King Power.