Football League World
·10 December 2024
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·10 December 2024
The R’s have revealed duo Ilias Chair and Jake Clarke-Salter will return to the matchday squad before the festive period.
Queens Park Rangers have revealed key duo Ilias Chair and Jake Clarke-Salter will return to the matchday squads before the festive period gets underway.
QPR recorded a romping 3-0 victory over promotion-chasing Norwich City last weekend, with strikes from Jimmy Dunne and a double from Raan Kolli propelling Marti Cifuentes’ men outside the bottom three to 20th place, with 18 points collected from their opening 19 second tier outings.
While a boost to the Hoops’ survival hopes was delivered on the pitch, more positive news was issued off of it, with the club updating supporters on the latest injury situations to some important senior figures ahead of their crunch game with Oxford United tomorrow evening.
Posting an injury update on the club website, QPR confirmed both Chair and Clarke-Salter were recovering well from their respective injuries and fully expect the duo to be back in the matchday squads before the hectic winter schedule rolls around.
Chair has been absent with a knee complaint after being withdrawn at half-time in their 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough in November, while Clarke-Salter has faced struggles with a reoccurring calf issue and has been out for a similar period of time.
Meanwhile, forward Michael Frey is expected to be available in the near future after also suffering a calf issue, while experienced midfielder Jack Colback continues to work on the grass as part of his rehabilitation programme, following the first surgery of his professional career.
Kader Dembele also received successful knee surgery and is in the early stages of his rehabilitation plan.
Full-back Kenneth Paal was withdrawn last weekend at half-time against the Canaries after feeling tightness, but QPR confirmed the Dutchman is expected to be fit for the clash with the U’s in midweek.
In more downbeat news for QPR, Zan Celar, who was substituted against Norwich with a hamstring injury, faces a spell on the sidelines, but the club hasn’t put a timeframe on how long the forward will remain out for.
While QPR have been impacted more than most with injuries in recent times, the returns of both Chair and Clarke-Salter are sure to bring smiles back on the faces of everyone connected with the club, with the former offering a different dimension of attacking quality, while defender Clarke-Salter will look to make the backline even more resolute upon his return to action.
Both men have been first-team mainstays under Cifuentes so far this campaign, and their absences have been felt significantly as the R’s have struggled towards the bottom end of the division.