Steve McClaren’s excuse for loaning out Ryan Manning is pretty weak

It is worth noting that QPR are currently serving a transfer ban.

Ryan Manning was one of the feel-good stories of the 2016/17 season. The former Galway United midfielder broke through to the QPR team midway through the season and made 18 appearances (one goal, two assists). He made 19 appearances the following season but nine of them were off the bench. Manning started the current season, under new QPR boss Steve McClaren, on the bench and made one 45-minute sub appearance. That appears to be the height of it and the club has now confirmed he will be loaned out all season to Championship rivals Rotherham United. The 22-year-old only signed a three year contract with the R's in 2017 and the club have noted that there is an option to recall him in January if needs must. Still, the tone of the QPR release on Manning's move suggests they are well aware of the potential backlash in loaning out a talented young player, and fan favourite, during a transfer ban. McClaren's excuses for loaning Manning to United strike us as particularly weak. The former England boss says:

"I think it's part of every young player's development to go out on loan and experience something different - different environments, different cultures and different ways of playing. "This season, because of Josh Scowen, Mass Luongo, Luke Freeman and Ebere Eze, his chances have been limited so far. So we had to make a decision - whether to keep Ryan in the squad and him not play much, or get him more games out on loan. "Sometimes as managers and coaches, we want to keep all of our players. But I think the benefits of this loan move will far outweigh keeping Ryan here for the moment. "We'll definitely be keeping an eye on Ryan and wish him success at Rotherham. We hope he plays well and comes back an even-better player."

McClaren has a tough task on his hands to make QPR competitive in the upper echelons in the division and is basically out-sourcing the development of a talented young player to his league rivals. For Manning, at least, he gets to remain in the Championship and prove a point. [caption id="attachment_172985" align="aligncenter" width="761"] Credit: Sky Sports[/caption] QPR director of football Les Ferdinand has joined McClaren in insisting that the Ireland U21's move is ultimately in the best long-term interests of both him and QPR. "We've certainly got high hopes for Ryan in terms of his future at QPR," told the club website. "However, unfortunately, he's not in the team on a regular basis at the moment, due to how well the current midfield have performed. "We feel it's in the best interests of both QPR and Ryan for him to go out and get game time on a more-consistent basis - playing Championship football at the same time, too."