Ethan Laird will formally complete his season-long loan move to QPR on Monday - prompting disbelief from Manchester United fans over his impending departure.
Laird, who spent a successful first half of the season with Swansea City last term, was due to join Watford for the 2022/23 campaign but a deal for the full-back fell through, with the Hornets not able to guarantee the youngster game-time following the signing of free agent Mario Gaspar from Villarreal.
Preston North End were said to be in the mix as well for the 21-year-old, but the Hoops have swooped and according to West London Sport the right-sided defender will undergo a medical tomorrow and be available for the Londoners' clash with Blackpool on Tuesday night.
“We will have a new loan signing available by Tuesday,” QPR boss Michael Beale said on Saturday.
“Come Tuesday, Kenneth (Paal) will be available, Chris (Willock) will be available for some minutes and that is the plan at the moment.
“The ones that won’t be available for the foreseeable future are Luke (Amos), Taylor Richards and Jake Clarke-Salter, who will be out until possibly after the international break.”
Laird's pending move south from Old Trafford has riled United fans, who are in a state of turmoil right now following their hammering at the hands of Brentford on Saturday night.
A 4-0 demolition - coupled with last weekend's defeat to Brighton at home - has pushed supporters to the brink, with many questioning the decision to send Laird out considering the poor form of right-backs Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
A scan of social media sees many labelling the move as senseless, especially in light of Laird's mostly positive outings during pre-season for new boss Erik ten Hag.
"Did we really have to send Ethan Laird on loan? Seems like he deserved a chance especially after yesterday's Dalot performance," wrote one. "Ethan Laird looks like a better player than Dalot who can't even put a decent cross in over a period of 90 minutes," added another, with that just being an small snapshot of an increasingly familiar theme among the troubled fanbase.
For Swansea, Laird moving to a Championship rival is disappointing but they never appeared to be in the conversation this time around. Laird's impact in the first half of last season was marked, though, and head coach Russell Martin remains in the market for a right wingback before the September 1 deadline.
Joel Latibeaudiere has done well on the right flank so far this term and looked comfortable in a back four at Blackpool on Saturday, but one suspects Martin still wants a player who can get up and down and deliver in the final third as well as perform his defensive duties.
Someone exactly like Laird, really, but the United youngster will be in west London, not west Wales, this season.
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