QPR’s director of football Les Ferdinand has revealed it was the FA’s decision not to employ him as their new technical director — despite remarks that appeared to indicate he had turned the job down.
Ferdinand was one of the candidates interviewed for the post, which is being vacated by Dan Ashworth after five years in the role.
Comments made by Ferdinand at a QPR fans’ forum last week appeared to suggest it was him that had turned the FA’s approach down.
But the former England international has clarified matters, saying: “The FA wanted to speak to me so I asked them to speak to the club.
“I spoke to the owners here and they said: ‘We 100 per cent don’t want you to leave the football club but it’s the national team, we think you should talk’.
“I spoke to Dan Ashworth and (chief executive) Martin Glenn and we had a conversation, but they deemed I probably was not the right person for the role at this moment in time.
“I went and I did an interview for the position — I am glad I went for the interview and went through the process.
“I was at a fans’ forum last week and somebody asked me if I was leaving the club and I said no. Somewhere along the way it has been misconstrued that I did not interview, that I turned the interview down.”
Standard Sport understands that the FA plan to name the replacement for Ashworth, who is leaving for Brighton, before Christmas.
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Other candidates believed to be under consideration include former Brentford manager Mark Warburton, Wolves’ sporting director Kevin Thelwell and the FA’s current head of development team coaching Matt Crocker.
Ashworth expects to take up his new post at Brighton early in January after accepting the post in September.
