Soccer: Nelsen set to stay at QPR till late Feb

Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp is hoping defender Ryan Nelsen will remain at the club until the end of February after signing on as Toronto FC's new coach last week.

QPR are currently fighting for survival in the Premier League, languishing in bottom spot after a draw against Tottenham in the weekend in which Nelsen played a full 90 minutes.

Redknapp told the Daily Mail that he's hoping to have Nelsen's services for "another six or seven weeks".

Nelsen is contracted with QPR to until June 30 while Toronto begin their MLS campaign in early March.

QPR play their last game on May 19 but Nelsen is hopeful he will secure a release sooner. He is also mindful, however, of the financial implications if QPR were relegated from the Premier League and doesn't want to leave Redknapp and owner Tony Fernandes in the lurch.

"They understand that when I play I am playing on glass knees and glass ankles," Nelsen said at his unveiling last week. "It is a bit of a struggle. They know I am at the end but they also know the predicament they are in. Dropping out [of] the Premier League has major financial implications, so I have an obligation.

"I really want QPR to stay up and to kick on for Harry and because of the owner. They are just fantastic people. They would like me to keep playing but we have to sit down and talk. If we can get five straight wins, that'd be perfect. I think then we could shake hands [and part company] but we are just going to have to talk and see how things progress."

QPR's next league game is against 11th placed West Ham this weekend before they host defending champions Manchester City midweek.

- nzherald.co.nz/APNZ