DAVID Bates has broken his silence on his Rangers exit and accused the Ibrox club of telling "lies" about his reasons for quitting the club to sign for Hamburg this summer.

The Scotland Under 21 defender moved to the German giants, who were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in 55 years, after growing tired of Rangers stalling on a new contract offer.

Rangers were unhappy at Bates when the move was announced just before a Scottish Cup semi-final with Celtic in April. Interim manager Graeme Murty insisted Bates' move was financially motivated.

Murty said at the time: "Let’s not beat around the bush, David has gone for more money than we can offer him and he could be playing in Bundesliga II next year. He is going for more money than we can give him here. That is the reality of it. So take emotion out of the situation, take the fact he is a Rangers supporter out of the situation, there is a load of money on the table. I am disappointed more than surprised that he hasn’t accepted it."

But Bates, who made his Scotland U21 debut in the 3-0 win against Andorra on Thursday and will line up against Holland tomorrow in Doetinchem, was furious at the allegation of greed and was keen to explain just why he moved to Hamburg.

He said: "What got said was complete lies to be honest. It was never about the money or stuff like that. It was all about feeling appreciation from a club and the way Hamburg went about it, they came over and watched my games, they were always talking. They showed how much they wanted me to go to Hamburg.

"I’d started playing a lot more in January with Rangers so I thought maybe they might have showed a bit more interest. But it never really happened. When I was at Rangers I asked them for a contract for a long time and never got one.

"Hamburg were very interested and that was, for me, the most important part – how much they wanted me to go over. The way they went about it was so much better than everyone else . . . so it felt like the love I was wanting. It was always going to be the right decision."

Bates insists he has no regrets about moving to Germany, even though Hamburg were relegated and Rangers' fortunes were transformed under Steven Gerrard.

He said: "I’m more than happy, Rangers are a big club and were always going to get big players in and a big manager. Steven Gerrard has done great since he’s come in. I’ve watched every game, I’ve still got Rangers TV and he’s done great and made some good signings. The club is definitely on the way back up.

"But for me, the league I'm in at Hamburg is the highest I’ve played at by far. A lot of the players are technically very good and it’s the highest level for me. And the club is massive.

"Overall over there it’s a higher level. You see teams likes Cologne, they’ve still got the left-back that is a starter for Germany, Jonas Hector. That’s the type of players that are still in the second league.

"I’ve always said I was looking to go abroad and try something different and now I’m there I’m enjoying it. Before I signed I had never even been to Germany before. I will try and learn the language as quickly as possible and I’m sure when that comes everything will be a lot easier as well but I think it’s been brilliant.

"You learn a lot more about yourself, you’re over there alone and there is no family and it can be tough at times but you learn a lot about yourself. On the football side, it’s a lot better for me and the coach has been really good, just the way they play.

"Of course, I've missed my family, but overall it’s been brilliant and I would never tell anyone not to go. I would say have a bash. It’s been two months but so far I’ve really enjoyed it."

And Bates insists there are plenty of similarities between Hamburg and Rangers.

He said: "Both sets of fans are very passionate. Even when you go into the city, you get a few fans saying hello and asking for my photo. The mentality of the clubs are similar too. At Rangers if you drew or lost a game it was a disaster and it's similar at Hamburg. They want you to win every game. It's a big club mentality just like Rangers."