Former Chelsea manager rushed to hospital

Former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has been rushed to hospital after falling ill during a Lazio training session on Wednesday.

Sarri, 66, was reportedly unwell amid scorching temperatures in Rome that exceeded 30C in the Italian capital.

That saw Lazio release a statement to give an update on his welfare later in the day.

The club said: ‘Coach Sarri is returning to Formello and, as scheduled, will lead the training session at 6:00 PM as usual.

‘This morning, he underwent a thorough fitness check, more comprehensive than the tests conducted on the players at the Training Center.’

The Italian endeared himself to Premier League fans during his sole season at Chelsea due to his bizarre propensity for chewing cigarette butts on the touchline.

e did so to combat the rule that all English stadia were strictly non-smoking venues, which prevented him from puffing away in the dugout as he has done elsewhere during his managerial career.

While some fanbases poked fun at those antics, he ultimately had a successful solitary campaign in west London.

In addition to guiding the Blues to a third-place finish in the Premier League, he also won the Europa League before leaving his role as Chelsea manager.

He followed that up with a single-season spell at Juventus before a one-year sabbatical and a move to the Bianconeri’s Serie A rivals Lazio.