Leicester City have sacked manager Brendan Rodgers following a disappointing run of results.
The Foxes made the decision to relieve the Northern Irishman of his duties on Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours after they were beaten 2-1 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. A last-gasp winner from Jean-Philippe Mateta sealed all three points for Palace, condemning the Midlands outfit to a fifth defeat in their last six Premier League matches.
The result, at the time of writing, has left the Foxes 18th in the table, one point from safety. However, they could fall four points behind Everton if they beat Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night.
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Leicester have won just seven of their 28 league games this season and are under series threat of being relegated to the Championship just seven years after they won the Premier League title in 2016. Rodgers had been in charge since February 2019 and guided them to their first-ever FA Cup crown in 2021.
A statement issued by Foxes chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: "The achievements of the team under Brendan's management speak for themselves – we've experienced some of our finest footballing moments under his guidance and will always be grateful to him and his staff for the heights they helped us to reach on the pitch.
"Off the pitch, Brendan embraced the culture of the Club and helped cultivate an outstanding developmental environment, particularly during the transition to Seagrave, and provided strong leadership during the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic. His place in Leicester City history is assured.
"However, performances and results during the current season have been below our shared expectations. It had been our belief that continuity and stability would be key to correcting our course, particularly given our previous achievements under Brendan's management.
"Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with 10 games of the season remaining, the Board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status."
Rodgers, 50, was identified as a candidate to become Manchester United manager back in November 2021, shortly before the club made the decision to pull the trigger on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It was understood that the former Liverpool boss had been identified as a leading contender to replace the Norwegian at Old Trafford.
United, of course, sacked Solskjaer later that month following a 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road and turned to Ralf Rangnick to succeed him on a short-term basis. Rodgers, however, was initially at the very top of United's succession plan for when the time came to show Solskjaer the door.
Rodgers, although this season has been underwhelming, oversaw a solid job during his four-year spell in charge at Leicester, meaning there was logic behind United's plan to lure him to M16 at the time of Solskjaer's exit.
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