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Former Swansea City boss Francesco Guidolin aimed a rifle at players to help motivate them for a European fixture, claims a former Italian international.

Amauri, who played as a striker under Guidolin at Palermo, says the incident happened before the club faced West Ham in a 2006 UEFA Cup tie.

He claims ex-Swansea boss Guidolin used a weapon to inspire the Palermo squad before the clash at Stadio Renzo Barbera. Palermo went on to win 4-0 on aggregate after holding a 1-0 first leg lead.

"I'll never forget what happened one afternoon in training," Amauri told Il Giornale di Sicilia.

"We prepared for the second leg of our UEFA Cup tie with West Ham and Guidolin came into the dressing room with a big bag.

"He then pulled out a rifle and aimed it at all my team-mates and I, exclaiming, 'we've hurt them, now let's go on the pitch and finish them off…'

"I remember that with [Fabio] Simplicio, we managed to hold back the laughter, but it's a nice memory, which I still remember with pleasure."

Guidolin was eventually sacked as Palermo boss in 2008 and join Swansea via Parma and Udinese in 2016, keeping the Swans clear of relegation in the 2015/16 campaign.