Rangers boss Mark Warburton has played down Joey Barton's comments about Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, insisting the midfielder's remarks were "tongue in cheek" and shouldn't be taken seriously.

In an interview with TalkSport, Barton commented on Parkhead boss Rodgers' personal appearance and suggested the Northern Irishman was "having a mid-life crisis".

Asked about Rodgers, the Rangers player said: "The places he goes and the places I go probably differ with the tan and the teeth. They're not the kind of establishments I rock up at. I'm not having a mid-life crisis!"

When asked what he made of the Englishman's comments, Warburton said: "I'm sure you know, as I do, that it was a tongue in cheek, banter type comment.

"There was no malice or disrespect from Joey. I'm sure you guys like those type of comments.

"The comments about recognising the size and scale of the [Old Firm] game and how much he wanted to be involved in a game like that was the serious part of the conversation."

When asked if he would speak to the midfielder, Warburton replied: "If you take it out of context then you need help yourself. It's a very light hearted moment. If you can't see that, there's a problem. There was no disrespect there."