Jonas Gutierrez has criticised Newcastle United for telling him in a phone call that he had been released by the club.

The Argentine was told by former manager John Carver that his contract would not be renewed by the Magpies, with Ryan Taylor also told that he would be let go in the same call.

Gutierrez had only returned to playing in March after battling cancer and he believes that he should have been shown more respect by the club's owners.

"I think man to man, face to face is the nice thing to do," he told BBC Sport.

"I had been there seven years, I always did my best. The only 18 months I didn't play was because I was going through my illness.

"Maybe they could have told me before the end of the season so I could say thank you to the fans on the pitch after the last game."

Gutierrez scored his final goal for Newcastle in their 2-0 victory over West Ham United on the last day of the Premier League season.