Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven said he "never expected" the club to sack former manager Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end just 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final â the club's first major trophy for 17 years.
However, the club's European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with Tottenham finishing in 17th place in Postecoglou's final season in charge.
He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank in the summer but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 matches, and suffered a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
"He was a really good manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven told The Overlap podcast.
"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware for Tottenham.
"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my dad and my friends and said, 'I never expected this'."