Paddy McNair would be a great replacement for Massimo Luongo.

The Australian midfielder could be likely to leave in the summer with The World Game suggesting Aston Villa are keen and a World Cup to show off his talents. His departure would leave a huge hole for Ian Holloway to fill in central midfield with the best way to solve that being the transfer market rather than looking internally.

McNair has been one of Sunderland's best performers, but he was unable to stop them from going down. However, their relegation gives them less bargaining power because any Championship club would be a step up for his career. Therefore, QPR could use some of the money from the potential Luongo transfer to lure him away.

According to TransferMarkt valuations, Luongo is worth £4.05 million and McNair is worth £2.70 million, although transfer fees for both players are likely to be inflated. However, they would make a profit while also replacing a key player. The Northern Ireland international could be a long-term solution for the role due to being 23-years-old.

McNair can play as a centre-back or a right-back, but is best as a defensive or central midfielder. From midfield he has scored five goals in just 16 league appearances. Luongo scored six goals and assisted three in 39 league appearances from a similar position. However, this is just a bonus because other abilities are more important for this position.

The 23-year-old has plenty of experience as a defender so he is adept at tackling, blocking off passing lanes as well as being generally intelligent positionally. Passing is an area that he needs to work on especially if he is playing as a midfielder, but he can progress the team up the pitch through his dribbling. Therefore, he is similar to Luongo in what he can provide to the team.

He will have to improve to match Luongo's level, but he is certainly a good option to bring in if the Australian does leave.