Former England manager Steve McClaren has been appointed to ex-Saints boss Harry Redknapp’s backroom staff at Queen’s Park Rangers, the club confirmed today.

McClaren, who has also managed Middlesbrough, FC Twente, Wolfsburg and Nottingham Forest, has been out of the game since his second spell with Twente ended in February.

He has recently been linked with the England Under-21 post following the Football Association’s decision not to offer a new contract to Stuart Pearce.

But now he will form part of Redknapp’s backroom team as QPR try to secure immediate return to the Barclays Premier League.

Redknapp, who already has a vastly experienced coaching set-up that includes the likes of Kevin Bond, Joe Jordan and Steve Cotterill, will be hoping McClaren can add something different to the group and was pleased to recruit the 52-year-old.

“I am delighted to have been able to bring Steve in,” he said.

“Everyone in the game knows what a top coach he is and he’ll add something different to the group, regardless of how long he is with us for.

“This is a very important season for us and I wanted to look at freshening up the whole place, not just the playing side.”