While the eyes of the nation are on matters in Russia, one former England manager is very much focusing his efforts behind the scenes at Loftus Road.

Steve McClaren’s first day of pre-season as QPR manager started on Monday, with the new boss putting the Hoops through their paces ahead of the upcoming Championship season.

Rangers travel to Preston North End in six weeks’ time – on August 4 – as they look to start the new campaign with a bang.

And former Derby and Middlesbrough chief McClaren, who was in charge of England for 16 months between 2006 and 2007, insists he will leave no stone unturned in preparation for their first match.

“I can’t wait [to get started], to see the mentality and see how they come back,” McClaren said.

“Then we will be focused on the next deadline, which is the first game of the season – Preston away.

“By then, the transfer window will have almost closed, so we should have our squad together by that point.

“Obviously, we can still loan after that but we want our squad together very quickly.

“It’s always important to get off to a good start but what we have to focus on is preparation and making sure we are ready for that first game.

“I always say to see where you are after ten games as that, roughly, is a good gauge as to where you are going to end up.”