Rio Ferdinand makes "mad" QPR revelation involving "money and wages" | OneFootball

Rio Ferdinand has opened up on life at QPR, as he revealed that he regretted joining the Londoners after leaving Manchester United.

Rio Ferdinand’s time at QPR

The centre-back is widely regarded as one of the best England have produced, and his time at Old Trafford means he will go down as a legendary Premier League defender.

However, the final season of Ferdinand’s career was a forgettable one, as he joined QPR on a free, when they were a top-flight side in 2014.

During his time at Loftus Road, the defender managed just 12 appearances, with injuries restricting the impact he could make, and when he was on the pitch he didn’t look the same player that had done so well throughout his career.

To cap off a miserable campaign, QPR were relegated to the Championship after finishing bottom.

Rio Ferdinand discusses QPR dressing room

That was the start of QPR’s demise in many ways, as they have yet to return to the top-flight since the relegation, and the transfer dealings the club were doing in that period would have serious consequences.

Far too many players were handed huge contracts, which contributed to the major financial difficulties that followed for QPR.

And, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Ferdinand explained how players in the dressing room would talk about money in a way he hadn’t seen before, and how they lacked commitment to help the club.

“I wish I had finished my career at Manchester United, rather than moving to QPR because it was the first time I had been in a changing room where people were talking about money and wages.

“You’d hear murmurings of players talking about it and I found it mad. We had players not wanting to train because they were on a certain amount of money, the intensity wasn’t that high, and for whatever Harry Redknapp was trying to do, the players weren’t buying into it, and that team ended up getting relegated.

“For me, I wanted one final season, playing in London, back home, my kids were of an age where they understood football a lot more, and then my wife got ill at the time and that compounded everything.

“I was getting injuries before I joined QPR but I did genuinely think that I would be fine and that I’d be able to get through it. I spoke with Harry Redknapp, who was QPR manager at the time, who said that he’d manage my minutes, that I didn’t need to train every day, and just make sure I was ready for every match, and I thought that I could do that easily, but that wasn’t the case.”

QPR still on the road to recovery

In truth, this won’t come as a shock to QPR fans as there have been many stories about what went on during that period.

They were clearly paying extortionate wages to players, and many of them simply didn’t care about the club, which is why results were so bad on the pitch, and the financial impact it had was severe.

It’s taken years for the club to have some stability off the pitch, and the approach has changed considerably, as they are no longer handing out the big contracts to players who may be seeking a final pay day.

There will be hope that under Marti Cifuentes the club are on the right track after his magnificent work to guide them clear of the relegation zone, and Ferdinand’s comments here are a reminder of the mistakes the club must not make again if they do return to the Premier League.