New QPR, Kwame Poku injury update delivered by Julien Stephan - “There is a difference" | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers boss Julien Stephan has provided an injury update on winger Kwame Poku.

Queens Park Rangers have experienced a topsy-turvy campaign with the R’s heading into the final couple of months of this season without much to play for.

QPR have flirted with a push towards the top six and the play-off places in the Championship, but three defeats in four matches has dealt a significant blow to those aspirations.

Now sitting ten points outside of the play-offs and 13 points clear of the bottom three and the relegation places, the R’s are closing in on the so-called ‘on the beach’ territory.

There are reasons for supporters, as well as the management and players, to remain motivated, though, because, with a young and exciting squad, there will be a belief that they can genuinely sustain a challenge for promotion next season.

That means that the next couple of months can almost act as preparation work for that season, still under the management of former Stade Rennais boss Julien Stephan.

Finding cohesion and gelling as a team when on the ball will be key for the Hoops, and it will therefore be key that those young and exciting players begin to find some rhythm – and so an update on Kwame Poku will be of significant interest to QPR supporters.

Kwame Poku is edging close to a return for QPR

Having fought off a lot of competition for the signing of Kwame Poku from Peterborough United in the summer, QPR have been left extremely frustrated by Poku’s injury absence and issues throughout this season.

The one-cap Ghana international winger started QPR’s opening day 1-1 draw with Preston North End at Loftus Road, but injuries then saw him make just one appearance for the club before mid-December.

He managed to find some minutes and much-needed game time over the festive period before a hamstring injury in January saw him ruled out for another couple of months.

Julien Stephan has remained cautious over his fitness as the 24-year-old attempts to work his way back into training with the possibility of him returning to the squad next week.

Stephan revealed: “I hope he will come back quickly. There is a difference between coming back and being competitive. There is a big difference.

“When you come back like this you need to be clever about how you restart. It was a long injury. In fact, he had two long injuries this season, so he didn’t play a lot.

“Of course it is good news. But we don’t consider that only one player can change everything.

“It’s an option. One more player. But I repeat, there’s a difference between coming back and being competitive.”

Injury-prone Kwame Poku could be a star for QPR if he can overcome fitness struggles

Even during his days at London Road with Peterborough, injury issues did plague Poku and limit his overall impact for Posh, who underperformed when without him, especially last season.

His quality is undeniable and well worth the risk that QPR took on him, but overlooking injury issues due to his technical ability and potential ceiling is not necessarily a new thing.

For example, Poku was so impressive when on the pitch last season that, for a struggling Peterborough side, he managed to get himself into the PFA Team of the Year for League One, the EFL League One Team of the Season, win two League One Player of the Month awards, win the Players’ Player of the Year award for Peterborough and help the club to become the first team to defend the EFL Trophy, while scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists in League One.

However, those numbers are so impressive because injury issues limited Poku to just 27 appearances in the EFL – showing that, despite his injuries, he was still widely viewed as one of, if not the, the best players in the division – but those injuries have been a recurring theme.