QPR deadline day signing Aaron Hughes has revealed plenty lined up to tell him he escaped Fulham in the nick of time.
But the 34-year-old defender denied he would have thought twice about the move had he known Philippe Senderos was also headed for the Cottage exit .
As Hughes dropped down a flight to land a short-term contract with Hoops until the end of the season, the Swiss moved to Valencia leaving the Whites with just three central defenders.
By May, Hughes could be on his way back to the Premier League, with Fulham facing some of the sides the Northern Ireland international hopes to conquer over the next three months.
“The irony of the situation? I know,” he said, “People have been joking around with me for the last few days saying something along those lines.
“But this was an opportunity to play games, and when you get that at the stage in my career, and coming into the last few months of my contract, it was too hard to turn down.”
Hughes, an unused sub in his first match against Burnley last weekend, reckons he can slot in at right-back where he plays for his country or in a more familiar central role, but refuses to speculate over an extended Rangers contract.
“The plan is to do well over the last few months and what happens, happens. I play right-back for my country – and I’ll play wherever I’m asked,” he added.
Harry Redknapp was adamant the defender has the speed and skill to ‘walk’ the Championship, as he put it, and Hughes is not about to contradict his new boss.
“It’s nice to know they have expectations of me, and none that I wouldn’t have of myself,” he said. “If I can live up those it will be good for everybody.”
As for Fulham’s chances, the man who served them five years and 195 games reckons the fat lady is not even in the theatre, never mind clearing her throat.
“The players they’ve added make them more than capable of staying up – and I hope they do,” Hughes added.
“It’s not just Fulham, there are a lot of clubs in that position. The situation changes almost week-to-week. One minute it’s them at the bottom, the next it’s someone else, but the manager puts on great training sessions geared to winning games, and they can still do it.”
