Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has revealed he “stepped aside” in his pursuit of Hampton & Richmond Borough star Ben Wright, allowing the young striker to seal a move to League One outfit Peterborough United.

Hodgson admitted that, while he was interested in adding Wright to his Premier League squad, he believes it makes more sense for the 20-year-old to join Posh, who had been tracking him for some time.

Wright, who has caught the eye with 13 goals in 14 starts for the Beavers this season, spent several days with the Cottagers last week and was set to sign for the club ahead of Monday's transfer deadline.

Hampton boss Alan Devonshire had even suggested that Wright had only to complete a medical at Craven Cottage before completing formalities last week.

However, talks broke down and Wright instead signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at Posh for an undisclosed fee.

It appears that Fulham were set to seal a deal for the hot shot striker, but pulled out at the last minute for the sake of the player's career.

Hodgson said: “He came here as a player whose name had come up at the last minute. Hampton & Richmond are very close to here and Alan Devonshire has close links with the coaching staff at the club.

“It was suggested that we should look at the player. He's a very talented young man, and he came here and we had a look at him.

“Peterborough were also on the scene, and had been pursuing the player for a lot longer than us and we decided that it didn't seem right – we were stepping in front of Peterborough.

“Peterborough offer a better chance for him, and we stepped aside.

“I've spoken to (Peterborough manager) Darren Ferguson, and he's happy to have him. It's the right move for the player. At 20, it's not easy. It made sense, at the age he is.

“We were stepping in at the last minute, just because we could do it.

“I wasn't convinced enough. If we'd looked at him over two or three days in training and decided that we had a wonder boy on our hands, we could have grabbed him, but he's got more of a chance at Peterborough. They had followed him for longer and it is a better move for his career.”

On claims that Wright had undergone a medical at Craven Cottage, Hodgson added: “He probably did have a medical. I think it was unwise for anyone to suggest that he had had a medical here. I haven't followed that up yet to be honest.”