Queens Park Rangers have completed the signing of Manchester United defender Ethan Laird on loan.
Laird will spend the season with QPR, who went into this campaign under new management after Michael Beale replaced Mark Warburton.
Beale has shown his ability to work with young players during various spells with Liverpool’s academy and was Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Rangers and Aston Villa.
Manchester United Defender Ethan Laird Joins Queens Park Rangers on Loan
Oh, hello Ethan 👋 #QPR | #LairdLoaned pic.twitter.com/Kw19B9PlZg
— QPR FC (@QPR) August 15, 2022
Fourth Loan Spell
This will be a fourth loan spell for the right-back. Laird ended the 2021/22 season gaining promotion with Bournemouth, though he didn’t feature much for Scott Parker’s side – making just six appearances.
Before that, he was reunited with Swansea City head coach Russell Martin, whom he spent the second half of the season before with at MK Dons. He provided four assists in 21 games for the Welsh outfit.
Laird has featured in pre-season for the Red Devils but could do with another period of regular football – which United were unlikely to offer him this campaign.
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Upon joining QPR, Laird told the club website: “It feels brilliant and I am delighted to get it over the line. I can’t wait to get started.
“Sometimes you don’t want to come out of your comfort zone but you only become your best self when you do.
“You only find out what you are really like when you play football. Coming up against 6’5 players, coming up against beasts, you find ways to adapt and I feel like I have adapted well wherever I have gone and I am ready to kick on now.
“The fans and ourselves should believe we can do something this season.
“For me personally, I just want to kick on and I feel I am at the perfect place to do that now.”
Laird was previously close to joining Watford but the Hornets failed to guarantee him the game time he wanted, according to The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell.
Ethan Laird appreciation tweet… What a player 😍 pic.twitter.com/sNHXpGWAuY
— Man Utd Academy (@ReservesUtd) July 31, 2022
Queens Park Rangers’ Hopes for the Season
QPR will be hoping to better their 11th-placed finish in the Championship last season, which saw them nine points shy of the play-off places.
Laird is their second full-back signing of the summer after former PSV Eindhoven left-back Kenneth Paal joined from PEC Zwolle. Laird will operate on the right as he has throughout his young career.
He is a third loan addition from the Premier League for QPR this summer, joining Leeds United’s Tyler Roberts and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Taylor Richards in helping the West London club’s push this season.
So far this campaign, QPR have won one, drawn one and lost one in the Championship, most recently drawing 2-2 with Sunderland. They were eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the first round last week, losing to Charlton Athletic on penalties.
