QPR double injury blow for Middlesbrough and Leeds United including top scorer

QPR picked up two extra injury niggles ahead of facing West Brom in Championship action on Saturday afternoon.

Neither midfielder Jonathan Varane nor striker Michael Frey were in the matchday squad at The Hawthorns. The QPR official social media account on X confirmed that the players hadn’t travelled as a ‘precaution due to minor injuries’.

While the severity of those problems has been played down by the club, it comes ahead of tricky Championship fixtures against Middlesbrough and Leeds United, posing a potential blow. Marti Cifuentes takes his side to the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night before welcoming the league leaders to Loftus Road next weekend. That gives Varane and Frey just seven days to bounce back from injuries that were of enough concern for them not to even make the trip to the Midlands.

QPR confirm two new injuries

Varane signed for QPR last summer, completing a move from Sporting Gijon to west London for an undisclosed fee reported to be £875,000 by West London Sport. The 23-year-old took some time to adjust to the Championship but has become a key part of Cifuentes’ system.

Prior to the West Brom fixture, Varane had featured in every Championship game since the end of October. The only league matches he hadn’t seen minutes in were against Hull City, Derby County and Portsmouth due to suspension.

The absence of Varane is a particular blow with QPR having confirmed a serious injury to fellow central midfielder Sam Field this week. A club statement read: “Unfortunately, Sam Field sustained an ankle injury following a tackle in our fixture at Portsmouth on February 22nd. The midfielder will now start a rehabilitation process with a projected return to full fitness in 6-9 weeks.”

Field is very much a midfield linchpin for QPR and his absence, potentially alongside Varane in the centre of the park, is a huge blow ahead of taking on two promotion-chasing sides in Boro and Leeds United. Praising Field in December following a brace against Oxford United, Cifuentes said: “He’s showing that despite big competition that we have in midfield that he is a reliable player, is always giving his best.

“When he came back from suspension he played magnificent and I was very happy for him when he scored two goals against West Brom. He has been helping us a lot and I’m very happy for him and it also helps everybody else to keep their best level. It’s a luxury (selection) problem).”

QPR top scorer picks up niggle ahead of Middlesbrough and Leeds United

The other minor injury confirmed ahead of facing West Brom was to Michael Frey. The striker has been injury prone since arriving in January 2024 but is the top scorer this season for the club with eight goals in all competitions.

Cifuentes elected to deploy Paul Smyth through the middle against the Baggies over the more natural Alfie Lloyd. QPR have somewhat of a striker crisis with Zan Celar and Rayan Kolli also both sidelined through injury - although the latter is expected to return in the coming weeks.

In other news, this is how QPR and Millwall fare in a new-look predicted Championship table with a play-off call made.