Hearts manager Daniel Stendel says he's tried to deal with the players he's asked to leave the club, with as much "respect" as possible.
The German has told captain Christophe Berra to move on to pastures new and has also cancelled the contract of Republic of Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan.
In an interview with The Herald, Whelan claimed he felt thrown "under the bus" by the Hearts boss.
"I do feel let down. The way my name is out there now it feels like I have been thrown under a bus.
"There are a lot of players at Hearts who have not been fit, I have tried my best with the quality that is around us and if that wasn't good enough, it was certainly not my fault."
Another recent exiting player, Jon Daly, also claimed his treatment by the club had been “embarrassing”.
But Stendel has defended his approach:
“I got some impressions from my first games and I can only go on what I have seen in training and in games.
“I know some players have been big players for this club and have a lot of experience and have a lot of heart for this club.
“And we are looking to try and find all the right solutions, with respect.
“It is not easy to find the best way to keep everyone happy because in every situation there are two sides.
“But I can say we are trying to do the best for the club and we respect all the players who have played for Hearts, especially our skipper.
“Christophe has given his best for this club, not only over the past two and a half years but also before and he is a really good player.
“But we talked about the situation and we tried to find a good way for him and for us and especially for this club and, hopefully, we will find the best way.”
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