Queens Park Rangers defender Ryan Nelsen will begin his managerial reign at Toronto FC on 1 February, it was announced at the club's media day.
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The Canadian outfit hired Nelsen on the January 8 but it had remained uncertain when the New Zealander would begin his duties as head coach at the club due to him still playing for Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League.
"We had a talk and we wanted to give QPR as much time as possible to bring in a replacement or sort their things out," Nelsen said at Toronto FC's media day on Tuesday.
"If they knew I was leaving earlier, it would have been harder in the transfer window."
Nelsen will leave QPR in the midst of a relegation scrap and the 35-year-old will reportedly play his last league game for the Hoops on January 29 against the champions Manchester City at Loftus Road.
The former Blackburn and Spurs man, however, does feel that Harry Redknapp has the acumen and the players to beat the drop without him in defence, despite them being bottom for most of the season.
"In honesty, I think they will (avoid relegation)," Nelsen said. "With the manager [Redknapp] and the players that they have there. There are some really talented players there. I'm 35-and-a-half, and if they're relying on me to get them out of a situation like that, they're in a bit of trouble.
"They understood when I came in that I've had job offers before in coaching and they knew that I was going to go at some stage."
Meanwhile, Nelsen's new club have not made the MLS playoffs in their six-year existence but the former New Zealand Captain has been impressed with what he has seen of their current squad and believes it is only a matter of time before TFC break their duck.
"We want to bring in some quality players," he said. "There are some good players here. Their records in the past few seasons don't justify their talent. It's a really good opportunity to prove a lot of people wrong."
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