It's been one of the shocks of the season already. With still months to go Claudio Ranieri's sacking by Leicester City still threatens to overshadow the 2016/17 Premier League season.

Having guided the Foxes to a shock title victory last term, the veteran Italian tactician was given his marching orders just after the halfway point of the current season.

Since being given the boot Leicester's form has recovered enough for them to pull away from the relegation zone as well as securing their passage into the quarter-final of the Champions League.

Ranieri has kept his head down since being shown the door, maintaining a respectful silence while everyone else has given their opinion over his dismissal.

But he has now broken his silence to the strangest audience of all – a group of prison inmates in Rome. 

He admitted that he is still coming to terms with his sacking and that the fact he was let go so soon after lifting the title still hurts him.

“Thinking of the dismissal by Leicester, the first thing that comes to mind is a sense of surprise even more than of bitterness," the 65-year-old said as per The Sun.

“I had gone through a lot in my long career, but I’d never experienced anything like that.”

“It was a shock, even though, at the end of the day, these things happen in football.

“This is my world. I started coaching in the Interregionale league in Catanzaro.”

“There were pitches with no grass, at times we had no water, no training equipment, I had to do it all myself.

“I never hitched my wagon to anyone, so what I achieved over the years was done with only my results on the field.”

Fair play to him, he has every right to feel bitter about how things went down. With months to turn the club's form around, most will feel he was dealt with harshly and hastily.

Ranieri was speaking in aid of the small Italian town of Amatrice, which was devastated by an earthquake last year.

He went on to praise the townspeople and the mayor for their efforts in rebuilding their community.