QPR’s Richards still unavailable after ‘setback’

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Taylor Richards has suffered an injury setback, QPR boss Marti Cifuentes says.

Richards has made just four Championship appearances this season and has not featured since coming on as a substitute against Plymouth four months ago.

Cifuentes said last month that the Hammersmith-born 23-year-old was not playing because of an injury.


He says Richards has since suffered another injury.

“He had a setback with his injury and that’s very unfortunate. We’re trying to evaluate what is the next step,” Cifuentes said.

“I read that I said it was his calf. It was his hamstring – my bad (English), perhaps it was lost in translation. Now he has a new injury in the same area. It’s the hamstring.”

Richards 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.

Meanwhile, Jake Clarke-Salter is fully fit and available for the game at Hull City on Saturday, Cifuentes says.

Clarke-Salter, previously plagued by injury setbacks, has been in excellent form this season while finally enjoying an extended run in the side.

His past injury woes led to the defender being left on the bench for this week’s 1-1 draw at Plymouth because of a slight groin problem.

Cifuentes explained: “Jake during the second half of the Sheffield Wednesday game felt a little bit in his groin – overload, not a strain or anything else.

“We had experience in the club before my arrival with similar situations when he got a muscular injury, so we learned from that.

“But Jake is definitely ready and is an important player for us. It’s just about load management.”

Midfielder Jack Colback and striker Michael Frey have both missed the past two matches because of minor injuries.

Colback trained fully on Thursday and is expected to be in the squad for the Hull game.

Frey was due to be assessed on Friday before a decision was taken on whether he would be included for the trip north.

“We are assessing them. We want to push and the players themselves want to push, but it’s very important we make sure (they are fully fit),” Cifuentes said.