"I think" - Exclusive: Lee Hendrie makes Johannes Hoff Thorup claim after fresh QPR links | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie believes former Norwich manager Johannes Hoff Thorup would be a perfect fit in the dugout at Loftus Road next season

News recently broke that Queens Park Rangers are eyeing up former Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup, after the 36-year-old was relieved of his duties at Carrow Road last month.

The Hoops still haven't technically dismissed Marti Cifuentes, but have instead cleverly placed the 42-year-old on gardening leave, meaning that the club have taken his managerial duties away whilst still holding his contract, so any potential suitors can come in and pay compensation for his services.

According to John Percy of The Telegraph, QPR are interested in the prospect of replacing Cifuentes with the former Norwich manager.

QPR finished just one point and two places below Norwich City in the Championship this season, but the R's feel that Thorup could be the man to take them higher up the table and build a team capable of challenging for the play-offs.

Former Aston Villa midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie weighed in on the situation exclusively to Football League World and believes the appointment of Thorup would make perfect sense.

“Very similar”- Lee Hendrie makes comparison between Thorup and Cifuentes

“I think Thorup’s got similar sort of ideas to Cifuentes, to be honest,” admitted Hendrie. “And I think that's the way that QPR have always recruited.

“They sample different things. They brought Gareth Ainsworth in at one stage, trying to do something different because he'd been a part of the football club and had that hunger and desire.

“I think now that they've looked down that path of the identity of what squad they've got, the players they've got, the younger players they've got, and the two managers (Thorup and Cifuentes) are very similar.

“The way they manage and tactically set up is very, very similar. So, I think, yes, it'd be a good appointment for QPR. They’re a football club that can slowly build and go forward, and I think it'd be a good appointment.”

Cifuentes vs Thorup

The pair both share a number of similarities, with the most obvious one being that they are two young, foreign managers making their first bows in the English game.

Neither coach played football professionally, which is an unusual trait for a manager to have but one that binds the two together. The duo are obviously tactically intelligent and have their own philosophies on how the game should be played, and will try to implement that on their team immediately.

As a result, the comparison Hendrie eluded to is well-based and means that QPR fans can expect a similar style of football if Thorup is given the job.

Cifuentes is six years the former Norwich bosses’ senior, and has enjoyed more experience within the game, coaching sides such as Hammarby, AaB and Sandefjord.

Whereas Thorup’s only experience prior to Norwich was with Danish side Nordsjælland, and this lack of previous work was one of the main reasons Norwich dismissed him.

Therefore, if QPR are looking for a similar profile to replace their outgoing manager, Thorup would be an ideal candidate. Coupled with that will be his determination to prove his former employers wrong, and show he has what it takes to be successful in the Championship at the second time of asking.