Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has confirmed that he found out he had been sacked by Napoli only by seeing the news on television.

The Italian boss took over at Stamford Bridge this summer following an impressive spell with the Serie A side.

He secured Napoli's highest ever points return last season, only to see his side lose out on the title to all-conquering Juventus.

Maurizio Sarri found out he had been sacked by Napoli only by seeing the news on television

The Italian enjoyed an impressive spell in Serie A before joining Chelsea earlier this summer

Sarri asked for some time to consider his future but Napoli hired Carlo Ancelotti as his replacement.

Then, after a protracted legal dispute the coach was eventually released from the final two years of his contract, freeing him up to move to England.

'It's true, I found out that I wasn't the Napoli coach anymore by seeing it on television,' he told Il Mattino newspaper.

'I had some doubts, that's fair, but there was a clause in the contract and it wasn't something I had asked for. It was not respected in the timing. Now I hope that Ancelotti can achieve what I came so close to.'

Sarri insists he remains 'grateful' to Napoli's outspoken president Aurelio De Laurentiis

Despite being criticised in public by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis in recent months, Sarri claims he is 'grateful, because he gave me the opportunity to be coach of Napoli.'

Former striker Gonzalo Higuain, meanwhile, was another Napoli figure who clashed with the club's outspoken president.

The Argentine moved to Juventus in 2016, much to the fury of many Napoli fans. But Sarri insisted: 'Higuain isn't a traitor and didn't betray anyone. His problem was purely with the president.'