Richard Dunne is expected to fly out to Austria with the rest of the QPR squad today after signing a one year-deal with the Championship outfit that the club can cancel in the event that his injury problems continue.

The 33-year-old old defender had been hoping to stay in the Premier League after being released by Aston Villa at the end of last season but after a season on the sidelines the extent to which his options were limited is confirmed by the terms of his move to Loftus Road.

The Irishman, whose pay was always expected to be linked to his ability to play games for his new employers, must stay fit in order to see out the season although clearly he will be hoping that he can do well enough to re-establish his worth.

"This is a great signing for us," said QPR boss Harry Redknapp, who had tried to sign Dunne more than once previously down the years, after the agreement was sealed yesterday. "He's a top-class defender and a great guy. He's a good character and just what we need. He was City's Player of the Year four years running, and he will be fantastic at this football club. He's exactly the type I'm looking for.

“Obviously he had his problems last season with the injury but there’s an agreement in place that if he breaks down, the contract can be ended. He’s confident he’ll be okay and from our point of view, if he doesn’t have any problems with it then we’ve just signed a very, very good centre-half.”

Dunne, meanwhile, was upbeat about getting his future sorted out after what’s been a frustrating 12 months. “I’ve been very close to signing for Harry on a couple of occasions and the opportunity to work with him really appealed to me. Players want to play for Harry and I’m no different.

"I've played in the Championship and won it with Manchester City, so hopefully my experience will benefit the team over the course of the season." Giovanni Trapattoni is likely to be pleased by the prospect of Dunne playing regular club football again although the Championship schedule is particularly demanding.