Harry Redknapp fears Ryan Nelsen will leave QPR

Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp fears he may lose key centre-back Ryan Nelsen in the January transfer window.

Nelsen, 35, has been linked with a coaching role at former club DC United in the United States.

Redknapp said: "He has been offered a job in America and I think there is every chance he might want to go.

"To lose him would be a massive blow. I'll speak to the owner and we'll try [to keep him] but it is difficult."

The New Zealand captain is in the middle of a one-year contract at Loftus Road and Redknapp had nothing but praise for the defender.

"He has been fantastic. I took him to Tottenham last year from Blackburn. He's one of the best pros I've ever met in my life, a fantastic player, a great trainer, a leader," he said.

"He is a massive part of your team [but] he wants to be a manager and it is a chance for him to manage a club."