Jamie Vardy and Kasper Schmeichel have both denied reports that Leicester players advised the clubs owners to part ways with Claudio Ranieri.
Reports have suggested that player power played a big part in the dismissal of Ranieri, but both Vardy and Schmeichel deny these claims.
The striker said: “I must have written and deleted my words to this post a stupid amount of times! I owed Claudio to find the right and appropriate words!
“Claudio has and always will have my complete respect! What we achieved together and as a team was the impossible! He believed in me when many didn’t and for that I owe him my eternal gratitude.
“There is speculation I was involved in his dismissal and this completely untrue, unfounded and is extremely hurtful!
“The only thing we are guilty of as a team is underachieving which we all acknowledge both in the dressing room and publicly and will do our best to rectify. I wish Claudio the very very best in whatever the future holds for him. Thank You Claudio for everything.”
Goalkeeper Schmeichel said: “Our owners are the type of people who are here a lot. They come to practically every game, they come to the training ground and they talk to the players all the time. I can’t talk from previously before I came to the club but, in the time I’ve been here, they come into the club and talk about all manner of things from the weather to whatever.
“But at no point have they taken our advice or asked for our consultation on the manager’s future. That is their job, their prerogative. We are players, we have to perform on the pitch, and that we haven’t done this season.”
He added: “They are very hurtful reports. I can only say as a player at this club, I, or any other player, have no influence on a decision like this or any say of any kind.
“Our owners are very successful businessmen who have made decisions in their business life many, many times. They have made big decisions for the club previously and they are the ones who make the decisions.
“We have absolutely no influence. We don’t kid ourselves that we can influence or make anything happen at all.
“I’m as upset about these reports as anybody. They are deeply hurtful and, for me, to read these types of things I think it is absolutely ridiculous to think that any player in any squad across the country has that type of influence or power to make decisions like this. I think it is absolutely ridiculous.”
“I am a footballer. I have no influence on these types of decisions or any other player at this club has that type of influence,” he said.
“The owners at this club are the people who make the decisions at this club. They have always done that, they have made tough decisions before. They have sacked managers before and made very tough decisions for this club. We as players have to get on with it.
“I don’t know how many more times or how clearly I can say it any more. This is a serious accusation, something that is very hurtful. I as a player do not have any influence or any power to influence our owners.”
