Leicester City caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare denies he fell out with Claudio Ranieri ahead of his dismissal.
Shakespeare insists his relationship with Ranieri remained strong to the end.
"A lot of it has been speculation without foundation," he said. "My relationship with Claudio has been perfectly fine all along - I've never had a problem with him and he's never had a problem with me.
"We spoke on the phone after the news broke, and he actually thanked me for my support. He seemed fine, a bit shocked but his tone was no different.
"He was very level headed in terms of 'that's football'. Most of the conversation will stay private but his tone was fine.
"I always feel sorry when people lose their jobs. In the circumstances I can understand."