English club now looking at Man City figure to replace Rangers-bound man

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QPR are reportedly looking at appointing Manchester City academy coach Brian Barry-Murphy as a replacement for Michael Beale, who quit the club earlier this week to join Rangers.

According to the Daily Mail, the west London side are targeting the Premier League 2 manager ahead of the Championship restart, with QPR looking to appoint a coach with a similar philosophy and approach to senior football than Beale, who confirmed his departure for Glasgow a few days ago.

Barry-Murphy has only taken charge of City’s U-21s for one season. However, the former defensive midfielder led the Manchester side to the Premier League 2 title, with the 44-year-old’s work in the youth came drawing comparisons to Beale’s.

As per the report, Barry-Murphy’s impressive work with City’s academy is a major selling point for QPR, who could look to appoint the coach following his impressive work with the Manchester giants, with the former Rochdale man having experience in the senior game on the touchline.

The Cork-born coach was manager of the aforementioned Rochdale for well over 100 games between 2019 and 2021. And since moving to Manchester, Barry-Murphy has only improved his coaching abilities with one of England’s best development squads.

Indeed, QPR appointing Barry-Murphy could be viewed by many as an ambitious move from the Championship side. However, the same concerns were made when Beale was appointed, and the City coach could prove to be an excellent successor to the now Rangers manager.

QPR appointing Barry-Murphy will be an exciting move

Barry-Murphy has made some impressive moves during his one year in charge of City’s U-21s, with the Irishman leading the Manchester youngsters to the Premier League 2 title and help to develop the likes of Romeo Lavia, Rico Lewis and Cole Palmer. And joining QPR feels like a logical step for the 44-year-old.

After all, the Championship side have the foundations in place already for a young and ambitious coach to come and to lay down their vision for the club. And Barry-Murphy could thrive at QPR if given the time and resources to take the west London side to the next leave in the post-Beale era.