Chris Hughton says he was completely blindsided by his dismissal from Brighton.

The 60-year-old was fired the day after keeping the Seagulls in the Premier League for a second successive season.

He told The Times: "The biggest disappointment is that I never saw it coming.

"As a manager you feel when things are not right or relationships have broken down, but there was never anything there for me to feel what was coming.

"I thought the chairman was in there for club stuff or, if he was there to see me, it was about pre-season, so it was a big shock.

"For a moment I couldn't say anything.

"I absolutely wasn't expecting it, I was stunned, there was a silence."

The former Norwich and Newcastle coach added he wouldn't be against joining a club from the second-tier.

Hughton continued: "I'm not saying no to a Championship appointment.

"I'd love to go in as a Premier League manager but the reality is that managers like myself have to take a team from the Championship to become Premier League managers."