Former Leicester City striker Gary Lineker has said that he "shed a tear" after the club's decision to sack title-winning manager Claudio Ranieri on Thursday night.

The Italian was shown the door with the club one point above the Premier League relegation zone following a season that has seen them pick up just five wins from 25 games.

"I shed a tear last night - I shed a tear for Claudio, I shed a tear football and I shed a tear for my club," Lineker, who scored 95 goals for the Foxes, told BBC Radio 4. "It is inexplicable to me, it's inexplicable to a lot football fans who love the game and I suppose you can explain it in terms of a panic decision and for me a wrong decision and it is very sad.

"It's a sign of modern football, what happened last season was truly extraordinary. The lack of gratitude form the owners of the club and who knows who else involved in such a decision beggars belief.

"That season will remain with us forever, it was truly special and a lot of that was down to the management. The same guy can not be considered incapable of doing the job a few months months later after achieving, what for me, was the biggest miracle in sport."

Vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said that the decision to axe Ranieri was made "to put the club's long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment".