RANGERS have been accused of failing to answer “key questions” relating to the departure of manager Mark Warburton last week.

The Ibrox club announced on Friday evening that Warburton, David Weir and Frank McParland had left after a dramatic few days of discussions behind the scenes. Chairman Dave King then released a statement on Saturday outlining the chain of events that brought an end to Warburton’s time in charge.

Yesterday, the 54-year-old broke his silence on the matter to refute claims that he had resigned from his post as he, Weir and McParland had their say through the English League Managers’ Association.

A statement read: “Much has been said over the last few days relating to our departure from Rangers Football Club. At this stage, for legal reasons, it is inappropriate for us to comment in any great detail on our departure.

“However, given that the club has seen fit to make detailed public statements, it is important that we should clarify certain matters and as such we would like to formally place on record that at no stage did we resign from our positions at Rangers.

“It is a matter of surprise to us, and to the League Managers Association (LMA), which is advising all three of us, that despite its detailed public statements, the club has not answered key questions put to it by the LMA, in writing, requesting an explanation of why it suggested we resigned from our positions.”

Warburton led Rangers back to the Premiership in his first season in charge but pressure had grown in recent weeks after a series of poor performances and results. His final game in charge was the 1-1 home draw with Ross County as Rangers slipped to third place in the Premiership standings and 27 points adrift of Celtic.

Now, he, Weir and McParland, the former Head of Recruitment, have paid tribute to supporters after they headed for the Ibrox exit door after less than two years in charge.

The statement continued: “For all three of us, it was an absolute privilege to be given the opportunity to work at a club that is so rich in tradition and history. It was an honour to be given the responsibility of returning the club to the top tier of Scottish football and we are very proud to have played our part in successfully securing promotion back to the Scottish Premiership. Winning the Petrofac Scottish Challenge Cup and beating Celtic, in a memorable semi-final to reach the Scottish Cup Final, are experiences we will never forget.

“We sincerely thank the Rangers fans for their unwavering passion and dedication. We had the good fortune to meet so many outstanding individuals and supporters of the club and we will always value their words of encouragement. We wish them great success for the seasons ahead.

“The current group of players, together with the staff at the training ground and Ibrox, have borne the huge weight of responsibility of taking a massive club back to the top flight.

“They should be proud of their togetherness and their work ethic. It has been a pleasure to work with them, and we would like to thank each and every one of them for their commitment and contribution.”