RICHARD FOSTER has hit out at Rangers for the way they handled his Ibrox exit this summer.

The defender was one of a number of Gers players released at the end of their deals following the 6-1 play-off final defeat to Motherwell last month.

Chairman Dave King was critical of the squad that failed to perform in the Championship and could only finish third in the second tier before failing to win promotion to Scotland’s top flight.

It appears unlikely that new boss Mark Warburton will go back to any of the out-of-contract players – which include captain Lee McCulloch and striker Kris Boyd – and offer them a deal to pull on the Light Blue jersey for another shot at title glory.

Foster is on the lookout for a new club for next season, but is less than impressed with the way his second spell at Ibrox came to an end.

He said: “It would be difficult [to go back] because of the way things ended.

“I learned I was being let go through the pages of my morning newspaper and, for me, that was wrong.

“To read you are being axed when you haven’t even had as much as a phone call is not a pleasant experience.

“It left a sour taste in my mouth and was a sad way to end things after all the positive experiences I had at Ibrox.

“Listen, I appreciate the season did not work out the way we all had hoped it would.

“Our target was for us to achieve promotion to the Premiership, if not automatically by winning the title then via the play-offs.

“In the end that didn’t happen. We made it to the play-off final, but Motherwell were too good for us over the two games.

“We didn’t fall short for lack of effort or desire. The players were all desperate to succeed, as was everyone at the club.”