Niko Kranjcar believes he can rediscover his best form after shedding half a stone in an effort to improve his sharpness.
The Croatian, 30, recently returned to QPR on a second season-long loan deal from Dynamo Kiev.
He struggled for fitness last term but remained a summer transfer target for Harry Redknapp, having also played under the Rangers boss at Tottenham and Portsmouth.
And Kranjcar readily admits that he needed to get in shape ahead of his return to the Premier League.
He said: “It’s a story that’s been following me my whole life. It’s something I’ve dealt with throughout my career.
“I have to be careful what I eat and when I eat. It’s the metabolism of my body and it’s something I’m used to.”
Krancjcar spent much of last season hampered by hamstring trouble and missed the World Cup after aggravating the problem during Rangers’ victorious Championship play-off final against Derby at Wembley.
He was nursing the injury when he arrived from Kiev last year and had missed pre-season, which he feels affected his conditioning throughout the campaign.
“This time I’ve had a pre-season in Ukraine, which I didn’t get the chance to do last year because of my injury,” he explained.
“I’ve lost three or four kilos and I feel great and I’m happy. I feel much better than when I came here last year.”
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This post was last modified on 12/09/2014