QPR new boy Onyewu brawled with hot-head Ibrahimovic at AC Milan... now he's up for a Championship title fight

QPR have signed United States defender Oguchi Onyewu, who infamously broke a rib of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a training ground fight.
 
The 31-year-old centre back, who has been training with Harry Redknapp's side in recent weeks, joins as a free agent after leaving Sporting Lisbon at the end of last season.

Onyewu, who has 68 international caps to his name and had a loan spell with Newcastle in 2007, brawled with Ibrahimovic when the pair were at AC Milan.

Cock-a-hoops: New QPR signing Oguchi Onyewu

Thumbs up: Onyewu is delighted to have joined QPR

ZLATAN THE FIGHTER

Read here about Ibrahimovic's brawl with Onyewu and his other spats with team-mates in Sportsmail's serialisation of the Swede's autobiography

He told the club website, www.qpr.co.uk: 'I'm thrilled to get this period over with and finally secure my future.

'QPR are a club with huge ambitions to return to the Premier League and I wanted to be part of it.

'I had a really good feeling about QPR from the moment I arrived here. I've been welcomed by the club and I feel good here already.

'I've already integrated well into the group, so I'm looking forward to what will hopefully be a very successful and happy time here.

'This was an opportunity that was presented to me, that I was interested in, and I'm really pleased to be here.


'I want to help the club get back to the Premier League - that's why I've come here.

Milan giant: Onyewu (left) facing Bayern Munich during his time in Italy

A short spell in Toon: Onyewu (right) challenges Charlton's Darren Bent during his loan at Newcastle

Heavyweight: Onyewu shows his power in the air and the physique which led Zlatan to compare him to a boxer

Experienced: Onyewu (second left) challenges Frank Lampard during the 2010 World Cup

'Harry believes I can come in and help the team out and when you've got the backing of the coach and his staff, ultimately that tells me that I've made the right decision to come here and try this new challenge.

'England is a fantastic place to play and I can't wait to get started here.'
Ibrahimovic has said his brawl with Onyewu 'could have turned out nasty' had they not been separated by AC Milan team-mates.

In his autobiography, serialised by Sportsmail, Ibrahimovic wrote: 'I had issues with Oguchi Onyewu, a guy in my team. He was an American the size of a house, and I told a mate in the squad: "Something serious is gonna happen. I just feel it."

'Onyewu resembled a heavyweight boxer. He was nearly 6ft 5in and weighed over 15 stone, but he couldn’t handle me. 

'The next time he got the ball in training, I rushed towards him and jumped up with my feet and studs out in front — the worst type of tackle. But he saw me and leapt out of the way. As we both crashed to the ground, my first thought was: ‘S**t! I’ve missed!’ As I got up and walked away I felt a blow to my shoulder. Not a good idea, Oguchi Onyewu.

Brawl: Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a training-ground scrap with Onyewu while they were at AC Milan

'I headbutted him, and we flew at each other. We wanted to tear each other limb from limb. It was brutal. We were rolling around, punching and kneeing each other. We were crazy and furious — it was like life and death. 

'Afterwards, the weirdest thing happened. Onyewu started praying to God with tears in his eyes, making the sign of the cross. This felt like a provocation, and I got more furious.

'I was stopped by my team-mates, and I suppose that was a good thing. It could have turned out nasty.

All the time, I was thinking: ‘S***, my chest hurts,’ so we had it checked out. I’d broken a rib in the fight.