The shocking way Chelsea's players found out about Mauricio Pochettino's departure from the club

Some Chelsea players were reportedly 'devastated' after finding out about Mauricio Pochettino's departure as manager.

Pochettino left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent on Tuesday, days after guiding the Blues to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League.

Chelsea looked to have turned a corner under the 52-year-old in the closing weeks of the season, winning their last five Premier League games.

But an end-of-season meeting between Pochettino and club chiefs determined that the Argentinian's future would lie away from Stamford Bridge.

The news broke on social media around an hour before it was officially announced by Chelsea, with The Telegraph reporting that Pochettino and several of his key staff members departed following a club meeting.

According to The Sun, Blues stars only found out from those social media posts that Pochettino had been sacked, with the club not yet delivering the news.

Several Chelsea players have reacted with sadness to the Argentinian's departure, with Pochettino clearly a popular figure among many in the dressing room.

Noni Madueke was the first to respond on social media, with the Blues winger simply writing: "Thank you", accompanied by a blue heart emoji.

After his departure was confirmed, Pochettino said in a statement on the club's official website: "Thank you to the Chelsea ownership group and sporting directors for the opportunity to be part of this football club's history.

"The Club is now well positioned to keep moving forward in the Premier League and Europe in the years to come."

Since Pochettino's departure was announced, a number of managers from both inside and outside of English football have been linked with potentially taking up the vacancy at Stamford Bridge.

Roberto De Zerbi, who left Brighton after Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, is the current favourite to take the job, while Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is also considered a candidate.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim and even Como's Cesc Fabregas - who currently cannot occupy the role as manager due to not yet completing his coaching badges - have been listed as possible contenders to take over from Pochettino at Chelsea.

Topics: Chelsea, Premier League, Football, Mauricio Pochettino