Barton was full of praise for his former club despite making only eight appearances before his contract was rescinded.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton has told The Daily Record that he is ‘delighted’ to hear Joey Barton lavish the club with praise just a month after he had his contract terminated at Ibrox.
The 2015/16 Championship Player of the Season rocked up at the Glasgow giants on a free this summer after helping Burnley to promotion from the second tier, but the huge expectations that surrounded his transfer quickly eroded following a training ground spat after Rangers’ 5-1 Old Firm thrashing against Celtic.
Barton is said to have got involved in a heated dispute with Warburton and fellow team-mate Andy Halliday and eventually had his two-year deal cancelled by mutual consent.
Nonetheless, the 34-year-old did not appear to hold any grudge when he described the club as “phenomenal” and “completely unique” during an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, the Daily Record reports.
And Warburton has responded in kind to the now unattached midfielder while remaining confident that Rangers can continue to attract players of Barton’s stature.
“There is no doubt there is huge selling points to Rangers, so we’re always delighted to hear [Barton’s praise],” the former Brentford boss told The Daily Record.
“We’re not going to outbid big clubs down south for players in terms of the financial aspect, but we can demonstrate what Rangers has to offer in terms of the training complex, an iconic stadium and a magnificent support with 50,000 fans, so there’s a lot to enjoy about Rangers.
“Are we still capable of signing someone of Joey’s calibre? Absolutely, no doubt.”
However, Warburton also recently expressed his desire to bring in young, out of contract players from clubs south of the border, meaning he will have to field questions about the direction in which he wants to take Rangers’ transfer policy.
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