LISTEN – Leon Osman opens up over Everton exit: ‘I’ve since had a call from the chairman. He wished me all the best’

Leon Osman has described to talkSPORT how he discovered he had been released by Everton over text… from a friend.

The 35-year-old has been with the Merseysiders since the age of nine but was let go this summer, along with fellow stalwart Tony Hibbert and midfielder Steven Pienaar.

Everton players and staff were reportedly shocked by the way the club handled the long-serving stars' exits, after reports emerged that none of the three men were contacted by the Toffees.

And Osman has revealed to the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast just how he found out about his Goodison Park departure.

Asked how he learned the news, the midfielder said: “By a text from a friend.

“He phoned up to say he couldn’t believe what happened. I then checked the website and it said I’d been released. That was how I found out.”

Breakfast co-host Micky Quinn was appalled by Everton’s actions, saying: “The service you gave that football club…it’s disgusting.”

But Osman revealed he later received a phone call from club chairman Bill Kenwright to patch things up.

“A couple of weeks later I did get a call from the chairman. He phoned me up to wish me all the best,” he added.

“We had a nice conversation, which was a lot better, I’ve got to say.”

Osman has been linked with moves to the likes of Sunderland, Burnley and Bolton since leaving Goodison, but the midfielder told talkSPORT he is now looking towards the future of his career and has returned to Everton to begin his path into coaching.

“I’m not playing any more but I’m still fit and I’m still keeping fit,” he said.

“I’m at that stage where I’m not chasing it [playing for a new club]. If someone needed somebody short-term, then I’d probably be available, but I’m moving on with the next stage of my career at the minute, the next stage of my life.

“I’ve been working on my coaching badges, I’m back in at Everton for a day or two a week to make sure I get them completed.”

Listen to talkSPORT’s interview with Leon Osman IN FULL above!