Riyad Mahrez has paid tribute to outgoing Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri on Twitter - but found his sentiments did not go down well with fans.
Mahrez was named the PFA Player of the Year last season after helping the Foxes to their stunning Premier League title success.
Ranieri's emotional reaction to sacking
He has struggled to replicate that form this season, however, and Leicester have fallen to 18th in the table and are in serious danger of suffering relegation as defending champions.
Ranieri paid the price for their plummet down the league earlier this week despite a respectable 2-1 defeat in the away leg of their Champions League tie against Sevilla.
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Mahrez dubbed the Italian a "great man" and thanked him for the belief he had shown in him during their 18 months together, but the touching message did not go down as expected.
A report in the Sun has suggested four Foxes players met with club officials over Ranieri's future but despite no evidence Mahrez was involved, the winger is now being accused of failing to back his coach when he needed it most.
Leicester take on Liverpool on Monday evening as caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare attempts to kick off an ascent away from the relegation places.
Ex-Man City and Inter coach Robert Mancini is the current favourite to take over at the King Power Stadium, with Alan Pardew, Gary Rowett and a return for Nigel Pearson also mooted.
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