Charlie Austin reacts to what he’s heard about Ilias Chair at QPR | OneFootball

Former QPR striker Charlie Austin has revealed that Ilias Chair is close to featuring for the club after a lengthy injury lay-off.

QPR continued their impressive recent form with a 2-1 win over Watford at Loftus Road on Good Friday, which made it three victories on the bounce.

The result leaves Julien Stephan’s side eight points away from the play-offs, so it is asking a lot for them to gatecrash the top six, but the R’s will just try to keep winning games and see where it takes them.

Even if they do fall short, Stephan will take encouragement from how his team is playing, and their attacking play in recent weeks has been particularly good, with QPR always looking a threat in the final third.

Charlie Austin confirms Ilias Chair is ready to return for QPR

And, there was more good news on that front, as it appears that Ilias Chair is closing in on a return to the team.

The attacking midfielder, who has been a key figure for the R’s over the years, hasn’t featured since early December due to a calf injury.

Given the length of the lay-off, many expect QPR to take caution with the 28-year-old, and the club recently confirmed that he was due back in training this month.

However, it seems Chair could be further along in terms of his recovery, as popular former striker Charlie Austin revealed on his Chaz Kicks Off podcast that the Moroccan will be involved during the run-in, as he talked up the ability of his former teammate.

“(Chair was) The golden boy when I was there, I still think he is now, but unfortunately he’s had a couple of injuries, and he hasn’t played since the West Brom game (in December). But, he said he’s looking like he’s going to be involved for QPR in the run-in now.

“Listen, that is a massive boost for the football club. The kid is special. It’s easy to be forgotten when you’re not on the pitch and not involved. Everyone knows he’s part of the football club still, but when he comes back he is going to add another dimension. He is someone I played with for 18 months, and I bumped into him at the training ground last year, and it was nice to have a good conversation and to see how much he has grown up.

“I am looking forward to him being back in the blue-and-white hoops, back at Loftus Road, making the fans sing.”

Ilias Chair can be a huge player for QPR moving forward

This has been a hugely frustrating season for Chair, as injuries have restricted him to just 11 appearances.

So, even though there are only six games to play, the fact he is back out and closing in on returning to the pitch is a major positive, and it will be a relief for the player after spending so long on the sidelines.

Of course, he will need to be managed carefully by Stephan, but the boss will be delighted to have him back in the group, because, as Austin says, he is a special player at this level when he is on form.

It will probably be too late for QPR to reach the play-offs, as they may need to win every game to have a chance, but having Chair back involved won’t do them any harm as they try to pull off what would be a minor miracle!

In the bigger picture, though, it’s just good for Chair and QPR that he is going to be back in action after a tough few months, and he will hope to show what he can do before taking that into pre-season and the 2026/27 campaign, where he could be a massive player for Stephan.