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Richard Foster believes it is "morally shocking" that clubs like Ross County will not extend player contracts and use the government furlough scheme.

Foster is one of four senior players set to be released by the Dingwall side when their contracts expire.

The former Aberdeen and St Johnstone defender believes County had the capacity to offer financial assistance and decided not to.

"Clubs just seem to be choosing to not use it," Foster told ����ý Scotland.

"I just find the whole issues around the furlough scheme ridiculous, and why clubs are choosing not to furlough their players when there is a scheme there in place. Which to me is morally shocking really."

Lewis Spence, Sean Kelly and Declan McManus will all join Foster in exiting the Global Energy Stadium when their current contracts expire.

County have also announced 10 reserve team players will not have their contracts renewed.

While HMRC's scheme allows companies to extend fixed-term contracts or rehire employees who were recently made redundant, Ross County chairman Roy MacGregor said it would be "dishonest" to use the scheme to extend contracts for players that were already scheduled to leave the club.

Dundee, Raith Rovers and Ayr United are to keep out-of-contract players on furlough until the end of June.

Foster believes the government initiative was put in place to do exactly that and questioned MacGregor's decision.

"I'm not sure where he has got his advice," the defender said. "There are also the non-fixed term contracts that means you are allowed to rehire employees or furlough ones that you recently made redundant.

"So it allows them, in these uncertain times, to continue earning a wage. So this scheme was put in place to help people.

Foster added: "What I heard him say was that he believes that it would be dishonest or that he believes that we would be defrauding HMRC, or however he wants to frame it, if we were to be put on furlough.

"So it's essentially a binary thing. You either believe that players should be put on furlough and given the chance to earn money in the next couple of months or you just say: 'On you go, we don't want to furlough you, see you later' and that is what he's done."

Meanwhile, Ross County captain Marcus Fraser and Callum Morris have been offered new deals, and Tom Grivosti and Harry Paton have signed new contracts with the club.