Paolo Di Canio has denied reports of a training ground bust-up following his sacking as Sunderland manager.

Club captain John O'Shea has confirmed that some of the Sunderland players had turned against their manager before his departure.

According to reports, there was a dressing room confrontation between Di Canio and a number of players after the 3 - 1 defeat to West Brom. This was reportedly followed by another confrontation at the training ground which led senior players to contact the board.

But Di Canio has released a statement saying that many of the players have since been in contact to thank him for his time as their manager.

In the statement he said: "There has been a lot written in the media in recent days, much of it wholly untrue. There was no training ground bust up as some are reporting and many of the players have since sent me messages thanking me for my time as their manager and helping them to improve as footballers."

He also also revealed that he has ambitions to return to management in England as soon as possible.

Sunderland picked up just one point from five games during Di Canio's time in charge, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table.