Liverpool great Graeme Souness has claimed that ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had lost the dressing room after falling out with some of his players.

The London club announced the sacking of Mourinho on Thursday and Souness suggests part of the reason for his departure is due to the fact he had lost the playing group.

"Part of me is shocked, and part of me is not shocked because of his track record, which you would think would buy him some time," Souness told Sky Sports News HQ.

"But I think on the other side of the coin, if you look at what has happened at Chelsea this year, there has to be something fundamentally wrong. There are more than two or three people who are not pulling their weight for whatever reason.

"I think I know that he has lost his dressing room and that some major players in the dressing room have given up on him. And if you fall out with two or three of the main men in the dressing room, that would quickly become all of the dressing room. And I think that has happened."