Queens Park Rangers defender Mauricio Isla has insisted that the Premier League is more competitive than Serie A, saying that he needs more time to adapt to his new surroundings.

The 26-year-old joined the R's from Juventus on a season-long loan during the summer, making five league appearances for his side so far this season.

"It's a wonderful step in my career for many reasons," FourFourTwo quotes Isla as saying. "Coming to play here in the Premier League is good for me because it's really good football with many strong teams. I have noticed the change [between Premier League and Serie A] in many ways.

"Here you can find seven or eight teams fighting for the title. The others are strong too. In Italy normally Juventus, Milan and Rome, which have been great the last two seasons, fight for the title and here there are seven or eight and those ones going to the Championship is quite tough."

He added: "I think it's been difficult for me because coming to the Premier league, after playing for seven years in Italy is difficult to change because the pace is heavier here."

QPR are currently 18th in the Premier League table.