London: Leicester City should honour sacked title-winning manager Claudio Ranieri by naming their stadium after him, Manchester United's Jose Mourinho said on Friday.

The call came the club's caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare rejected claims Ranieri had lost the support of his players.

Ranieri was axed on Thursday, 298 days after he pulled off one of the most remarkable stories in world sport by leading 5,000-1 outsiders Leicester to the Premier League title.

Even in the precarious world of football management, Ranieri's fall from favour was extraordinary and managers expressed their solidarity on Friday.

Mourinho, himself sacked by Chelsea in December 2015 having taken the club to the title the season before, said Ranieri "wrote the most beautiful history" in the Premier League.

"He deserves the Leicester stadium to be named 'Claudio Ranieri Stadium'," he told reporters, sporting the initials CR on his shirt during his news conference.

"I was sacked as a champion (by Chelsea), a giant negative as I thought – peanuts compared to Claudio. He is paying for his success." 

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp likened Ranieri's sacking to the extraordinary political events of 2016.

"Am I surprised that things like this can happen? No. Not just in football," said Klopp, whose side go to Leicester on Monday. "There have been a few strange decisions in 16/17 – Brexit, Trump and Ranieri.

Antonio Conte, whose Chelsea side are favourites to take Leicester's title, added his tribute.

"He reached a dream to win the title, I'm disappointed as a friend and as a coach," he told reporters. "Very, very sad."

Caretaker Shakespeare revealed he was shocked Ranieri was axed, having been told just 10 minutes before the news was made public on Thursday night.

Reports had suggested some players had spoken to the club's Thai owners to voice their concerns over Ranieri's reign but Shakespeare dismissed rumours of any unrest.

"I'm not aware of any senior players going to the owners so that's news to me," Shakespeare said. "What I would say, there was a lot of frustration because of results but he hadn't lost the dressing room.

"Players have a voice, we have a good group of players who are tactically aware. You listen to the players but it's the manager who makes the final call.

"From a football point of view I have to tell you that the players are very professional. They are very hurt and very frustrated. I've not had one problem with them on the training field. They are very diligent and professional.

"They will be very disappointed, like everybody else, that the manager has lost his job."

Leicester have been a shadow of the side that won the title by 10 points last year and five league games in a row left them one point above relegation.

Yet West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis believes Ranieri would have turned Leicester around.

"I'm disappointed," he said. "There's still 13 games to go, they could still have a run of games and finish in mid-table and they could still get through to the next round of the Champions League, which again would be a remarkable season."

Leicester's Thai owners offered Ranieri their "unwavering support" this month and the decision to sack him was described by former Leicester player Gary Lineker as a panic measure.

"I shed a tear last night. I shed a tear for Claudio, for football and for my club. It's inexplicable to me," he said.

"You could explain it in some ways as a panic decision, and for me a wrong decision. It's very sad."  

Reuters