QPR facing battle to keep Socceroos star Luongo
EXCLUSIVE: Queens Park Rangers director of football Les Ferdinand fears the Championship club will struggle to keep Massimo Luongo as Premier League clubs circle the Socceroos star.
September's player of the month at Loftus Road and shortlisted for October's PFA fans' player of the month award, Luongo is already on the radar of Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion.
Ferdinand - who nurtured the 24 year-old's emerging gifts during their time together at Tottenham - believes his protege is on course to become "the compete package", if he can just add goals to his repertoire.
"The one thing I would love to see Mass bring to his game is goals," said Ferdinand, who brought Luongo to west London after two standout seasons for League One club Swindon. "If he can do that then you have the complete midfielder.
"He can tackle, he can pass, he gets forward. If you then have more end product then he can unstoppable for us.
"That's definitely something we'd like to see more from him and I know the manager (Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink) is encouraging him to get into more offensive positions."
Ferdinand, whose Hoops side is mid-table as it seeks to return to the top flight, doesn't know how much longer Rangers can stave off suitors for the $7 million Luongo, whose contract expires at the end of next season.
"If Mass keeps playing way he is it's going to give us a problem, because we might find it hard to hold on to him," added the former England, Tottenham and Newcastle striker. "We know other clubs are watching him and can see how much he's progressing."
Ferdinand said Luongo is not letting recent plaudits swell his head.
"He's no fuss and takes everything in his stride," he said. "If it's right for him to move then that's what he'll do, and he'd have no qualms about it.
"He doesn't owe me or the club anything. For him it's all about progression.
"I brought the likes of him to QPR because I wanted the club to progress, along with the players.
"I know that for a long time we haven't really been a selling club but I think that is going to change in the next couple of years with other teams trying to sign our players."
was at Tottenham at a time when the club tended bring in established talent from elsewhere rather than promote the youngsters and there was a lot of competition for places and was going to struggle to get games.
His move to Swindon was a good one for his overall development, and he grabbed it with both hands.
He's always had a great work ethic, and a desire to succeed .. you could see that straight away.
He needed to be playing week in week out and it's done him the world of good.