QPR confirm big update involving Ilias Chair | OneFootball

QPR have provided an update on the fitness of Ilias Chair as the attacker closes in on a return to action.

It has been a disappointing second half of the season for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship.

After a positive start to the campaign under head coach Julien Stephan, QPR sat as high as seventh in the table in late December, and a play-off push looked to be on the cards, but their promotion hopes have faded since the turn of the year.

A run of just three wins from 15 games saw the R's fall away from the top six and into mid-table, with a recent four-game losing run, during which Stephan's men failed to score and conceded 12 goals, proving to be particularly damaging.

The Hoops rediscovered their form before the international break as they followed up a 3-1 victory at Leicester City with a 6-1 hammering of Portsmouth, and with a number of favourable fixtures to come when the Championship returns, they will be hoping for a strong end to the season.

However, with QPR currently 12th in the table, 10 points from the play-off places with just seven games remaining, they have a mountain to climb if they are to force their way back into the promotion picture.

QPR provide positive Ilias Chair injury update after lengthy absence

It is perhaps little surprise that QPR's decline in form has coincided with the absence of star attacker Ilias Chair, who has been sidelined for almost four months with a calf injury.

Chair last featured for the R's in their 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion in early December, and while Stephan initially hoped that he would be able to resume training in early February, his recovery has taken significantly longer than first expected.

However, it seems that Chair may now finally be closing in on a return to action, with QPR revealing in an injury update on their official website on Tuesday that the 28-year-old is now back on the grass after his lengthy lay-off and is set to return to training with his team-mates in early April.

It seems the game against Watford at Loftus Road on Good Friday may come too soon for Chair, while he may also be unavailable for the trip to face Preston North End at Deepdale on Easter Monday, but after an injury-disrupted season that has seen him make just 11 appearances, the Morocco international will likely play some part before the end of the campaign.

There was further positive news on the injury front for the Hoops, with the club confirming that midfielder Nicolas Madsen is expected to join Chair back in training imminently, while Stephan may also be able to call upon strikers Justin Obikwu and Rumarn Burrell in the coming weeks as the pair continue to make progress in their recoveries.

QPR facing big Ilias Chair decision this summer after frustrating season

QPR may have little left to play for this season, but they will be pleased to welcome Chair back for the final weeks of the campaign, and he has certainly been missed during his absence.

However, while Chair is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the Championship on his day, he has not delivered consistently for some time now, and he has been plagued by injury problems this season, which may give the R's a decision to make on his future this summer.

Given his underwhelming season, Chair is unlikely to attract the same level of interest as he has done in previous windows, and he only signed a new long-term contract at Loftus Road last January, but the Hoops may be tempted to cash in on their talisman should they receive a suitable offer this summer.