Ian Holloway wants Paul Furlong to
keep playing until he's 40.
Furlong, 36, has scored 17 goals for QPR this season
and is set to sign for two more years before his
current contract is due to end in the summer.
But Holloway has urged him to carry on playing even
after that deal expires.
The Rangers boss said: "The man's an absolute legend.
He's kept himself in unbelievable shape to achieve
what he has this season.
"But I don't want him to ease up now. I don't want him
to ease up next year either, or the year after that.
"I don't want his target to be 36, or 38 - I want it
to be 40. I truly believe that Paul Furlong can still
be playing for us at 39 or 40.
"People ask me if I've got a long-term replacement for
him lined up. Of course when your top scorer is 36 you
have to consider options and I've done that by signing
Dean Sturidge, who I think can play alongside Kevin
Gallen.
"But I'm not planning for life without Paul Furlong.
Far from it. He's a big part of my plans for next
season and I think he can go on for - at the very
least - two more years.
"The man's ability and fitness is second to none. Our
fans summed it up perfectly with what they sung about
him recently: 'Thirty-six - you're having a laugh'.
"It made me laugh but it's so true. His age in his
case is just a number. Never is he a 36-year-old
footballer."
Furlong's fortunes have changed dramatically since he
signed for Rangers in 2002 having barely featured for
Birmingham because of seemingly permanent injury
problems.
He was the forgotten man at St Andrews and only ended
up at Rangers after Birmingham offloaded him as part
of the loan deal for Tommy Williams, who Holloway was
desperate to sign at the time.
Soon after his move to Loftus Road he was back on the
treatment table and few predicted he would become such
a key player for the Rs.
And Holloway believes Sturridge can follow suit having
recently joined the club from Wolves after a similar
run of injuries.
Holloway declared: "It's a signing I'm really excited
about. I really think he will be a fantastic player
for us.
"He's taken quite a pay cut to join us and I love his
attitude. We need to get him playing more and then
we'll see the best of him.
"We've not done badly with other players that have had
a bad time with injuries. Marc Bircham, Martin
Rowlands and Kevin Gallen have played much more
regularly for us than they had previously.
"It helps when you've got Prav Mathema - the best
physio in the league. Now we need to do the same with
Dean."
Sturridge is likely to be on the bench for Saturday's
vital game against Sunderland and could be joined
there - if not this weekend then soon - by defender
Dominic Shimmin, who joined Rangers from Arsenal on
transfer deadline day.
Shimmin, 17, is regarded as an outstanding prospect
already good enough to push for a first-team place.
Holloway made pre-deadline enquiries about
Birmingham's former Manchester United striker Dwight
Yorke and midfielder James O'Connor, who instead
joined Burnley from West Brom.
But Shimmin was always Rangers' number one target.
"He's a great prospect and a player I think we're very
fortunate to be signing - it's a great deal for us,"
said Holloway.
"I'm planning for the future and I want to build a QPR
squad that will last for years.
"That means picking up quality youngsters and a lot of
them are with the top Premiership clubs."