Julien Stephan must love one QPR thing that happened v Sheffield United - Kwame Poku won’t | OneFootball

The Frenchman's trust in a 'very, very good player' will leave the Ghanaian winger knowing he has to come back strong

Despite the 2-0 scoreline, there was one thing Queens Park Rangers manager Julien Stephan must love that happened against Sheffield United, but it’ll leave Kwame Poku cautious.

Few situations have been as frustrating as that of Kwame Poku, whose 25/26 campaign has been regularly interrupted by injury problems since his £900k move from Peterborough United last summer.

Having only made eight appearances in the league, the winger has spent another spell on the sidelines since early January, but Stephan himself delivered a positive update on Sunday, confirming that the 24-year-old is expected to be back in training within the next few days.

So, what happened against the Blades that would've been noted by both the R's head coach and Poku - especially now that the latter is nearing a return to action?

The one thing Julian Stephan will love and Kwame Poku won't at Queens Park Rangers

Harvey Vale has had a Championship season defined by flashes rather than full runs of form. In 15 starts so far, the versatile midfielder has three goal contributions at this stage.

Yet, his display at Bramall Lane was exactly the sort of all-round performance that shows why Stephan rates him so highly. Even though QPR failed to score, the ex-Chelsea prospect was a constant source of energy and ended the game having created five chances for his teammates - more than anyone else on the pitch.

To be a bit more technical, in terms of expected assists (xA), this worked out at 0.34. Aside from his attacking display, Vale also made six defensive contributions, as per FotMob data, and won all of his aerial duels.

What makes that even more striking is the context of his role on the day. Vale started on Poku's favoured right side of attack but shifted into a left-back position after the first half, once the Brazilian Esquerdinha was subbed off. Given that the exact length of Vale's contract is undisclosed, but described as "long-term" by the club, there's every chance he develops into a quality player at Loftus Road.

Back in September, after the 1-0 win over Stoke City, the QPR boss described Vale as a "very, very good player", whilst praising both his offensive and defensive contribution.

Stephan told QPR's official website, "Harvey is a very, very good player. We can see he’s in good momentum, and I’m very happy for him because he deserves it.

"It’s not only his goal, it’s a lot of effort on the pitch, offensively, defensively, technically he’s a good player. I see some improvement as well in terms of intensity, aggressivity, so I am happy with that."

There’s no denying that Poku’s impending return will be a huge boost for everyone in West London, but if Vale continues to consistently create that many chances, the ex-Posh star can't expect to walk straight back into the starting XI when fit.

Potential Kwame Poku, Harvey Vale dilemma at Queens Park Rangers

In all fairness, strong competition for wide places should push standards up, but Poku hasn't played any competitive football for QPR since the 4th January against Sheffield Wednesday, so his minutes will be getting managed anyway.

With the West London club now ten points off the playoff places, in 15th, any aspirations of a top-six finish are looking quite low - and poor individual performances will only anger Hoops fans even more.

The fact that Vale was one of the better players in the squad against Sheffield United, perhaps there is a bit of pressure on the Ghana international to come back and perform straight away.

Also, having won the EFL's Goal of the Month award for January, the second-half of the season - on a personal level - is proving to be an underrated spell for Vale.