Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare has denied that there was a rift between himself and Claudio Ranieri when the Italian was in charge of the Premier League outfit.

Ranieri recently opened up about his dismissal as Foxes head coach and insinuated that somebody at the club played a part in it.

Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of Leicester's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, Shakespeare insisted that the 65-year-old was not referring to him.

"We have never had any arguments or hard feelings," he said. "Free speech is there for everybody. I don't have any problem with that. I have a clear conscience.

"My stance is the same from my first interview [as manager] when I stated that I'd spoken to Claudio the night he was relieved, he thanked me for my time, and I thanked him.

"He said it was football. It was good to see him enjoying his football and he came across really well."

Leicester take on Atletico in Spain for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.