Queens Park Rangers boss Neil Warnock has said that Joey Barton was "out of order" when he criticised teammate Adel Taarabt for a perceived lack of effort.
Barton said that Taarabt was guilty of not working hard enough and not taking advice.
"What he is saying about Adel I think is a little bit out of order," Warnock told ESPN.
"I think there [are] one or two lads in the team at the moment that could do better so sometimes you look elsewhere.
"If he wants Adel to chase about and tackle and run, he is never going to be able to do that."
Asked if he had spoken to Barton about the remarks, Warnock said: "I've not spoken to him. I'll probably have a chat with him [on Tuesday] and see what he actually said."
QPR are currently 11th in the Premier League with nine points from eight games.