Warburton: Osayi-Samuel should have stayed at QPR

Mark Warburton has reiterated his belief that Bright Osayi-Samuel should have stayed at QPR.

Both Warburton and Rangers coach Neil Banfield previously told West London Sport they felt the winger should sign a new contract for the good of his career.

And manager Warburton has not changed that view following Osayi-Samuel’s departure for Turkish club Fenerbahce.

He said: “I think I made my thoughts clear in that I thought Bright would have benefited enormously from another full season at QPR – to get that consistency of performance and to keep on learning.

“He’s a very young player with tremendous attributes in terms of pace and ability.

“But it’s a steep learning curve and, when you take these moves – and he and his representatives are well aware of this – the pressure grows significantly. The spotlight on you intensifies significantly and you have to deliver.

“I always worry about young players because that learning and development is so important.

“Sometimes you can miss one or two lessons, which comes back to bite you further down the line.

“I hope very much it’s a good move for him and that we see him back in the UK at some stage at a really high level.

“But it’s a very, very tough learning curve – have no doubts about that.”

Osayi-Samuel was in the final few months of his Rangers contract and rejected offers of a new deal.

At one stage he indicated he was ready to re-sign, but the uncertainty over his future continued.

“It dragged on far too long but not through QPR’s fault. Certainly the club did everything possible,” Warburton insisted.