Dykes expected to feature in QPR friendly
QPR striker Lyndon Dykes is set to return to action this weekend.
The Scotland international missed Euro 2024 after suffering an ankle injury in training ahead of the tournament.
He also missed the pre-season trip to Spain, where Rangers played two matches.
But Dykes returned to full training this week and head coach Marti Cifuentes expects him to be involved in Saturday’s friendly against Tottenham at Loftus Road.
“He has done a very good job, together with the medical team, over the last weeks,” said Cifuentes.
“Since we came back to London he has been training with the team and showing a good level.
“Of course he’s a little bit behind the rest of the players in terms of fitness but physically is a strong player and I am sure he can play some minutes tomorrow – and the level he’s showed in training over the last week has been really positive.”
Meanwhile, Cifuentes has explained the decision to send Taylor Richards on a season-long loan to Cambridge United.
The Hammersmith-born Richards made just four Championship appearances last season and has not featured since coming on as a substitute against Plymouth in December.
He has started just one league game for Rangers since arriving from Brighton during the summer of 2022, initially on a season-long loan.
Under the terms of that loan deal, the club were obligated to sign him on a permanent transfer last summer.
In March, Cifuentes said the player was injured.
And he has wasted no time in shipping him out this summer, quickly deciding that Richards would not be in his first-team plans for the entirety of the coming season.
Cifuentes said: “It was important to find Taylor a club where he could play minutes to give him back the confidence that he needs.
“There is no doubt that there is a very talented player in him and that project was a good fit for both his aspirations and what we think can give him the a platform.
“Sometimes it’s good for a player to find somewhere else where he can really show his level and show the potential he has.”
19/07/2024 @ 7:06 pm
I must say how impressed I am with the way things are panning out since the manager first arrived. However, any player who wants out should go now – they are just a hindrance to those who actually want to play for QPR. The others who have left (with a handfull of exceptions) invarably vanish without a trace, never to be heard of again, they must think they are better than they really are. Money should not be the driver here but very often it is the sole reason for moving on.