Toni Leistner has completed his loan move from QPR to Cologne.
Leistner, 29, has been out of favour since soon after Mark Warburton took over as manager in the summer and has returned to his native Germany for the rest of the season.
The deal was agreed on Thursday after Warburton had made it clear to Leistner that he is now behind youngster Conor Masterson in the pecking order of centre-backs.
Rangers made him available for transfer in July but no move materialised and he subsequently won his place back in the team.
But with Cologne interested, Masterson having broken into the QPR side and Yoann Barbet close to a return from injury, Leistner has moved on.
He has made 65 Championship appearances since being signed on a free transfer after leaving Union Berlin during the summer of 2018.
Leistner has 18 months remaining on his Rangers contract.
Speaking to the club website, Warburton explained: “At this stage of the season Toni wants assurances about first team football and that is something we cannot guarantee any player.
“It is about being honest with the players and if any individual is not satisfied or is unhappy we will not stand in their way.
“The form of young Conor Masterson has entitled him to recent first-team starts and we will always give opportunities to players, regardless of their age.”
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This post was last modified on 30/01/2020
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It sounds like someone has forgotten the sterling work Ollie put in before getting the ceremonial elbow - its not all down to MW, he inherited most of what he is now intent on getting rid of. Dont forget, he was lauded as the one to take us to the next level, which is increasingly looking like the next division down.
You may not agree with what MW has said and you clearly think he is wrong. And he has made some strange decisions. Forget it. QPR have a history of getting rid of managers. Sometimes the mistake was in the selection in the first place. MW was not an obvious mistake. We need to put those days past. he has done well in bringing so many young ones through. He has managed on a tight budget. Yes its a shame Darnell furlong went for so little, but that sounds like a decision from higher up. For goodness sake give him the time we never seem to give our managers. Do the complainers seriously think we were ready for the premier league when we had a few wins (and conceded plenty of goals) earlier in the season.
What a load of crap. Lets hope Masterson doesn't get injured then OR unable to maintain his form. We all know form is unreliable, good for one game and rubbish the next. Thats no reason to shovel a player out the door. Try again MW we are not daft kids.
He left because you didn't like home. Not a drink buddy .you will need some soon when your neck is on the line parrot
I hope the club give mr warburton the same crap reasoning when they sack him,afterall why do we need a manager who couldn't manage a good shit.
MW says "we will always give opportunities to players, regardless of their age". So why was he prepared to send Masterson out on loan to "gain experience"? Why has he sent all the CONTRACTED youngsters out on loan? His comments do NOT ring true.