QPR 'very sad' as significant Christmas blow confirmed ahead of Swansea City and Norwich City


QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes has admitted he is 'very sad' as the club confirmed an update on the injury sustained by Steve Cook in the 2-1 victory over Preston North End last weekend.
The 33-year-old was hauled off after just 24 minutes of action in the Championship meeting, having played every minute of the campaign for the R's until that point. The centre-back is a linchpin of Cifuentes' system at Loftus Road but it has now been confirmed that the player will be sidelined for some time.
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Hide AdAn update shared by the club on social media platform X on Christmas Eve read: "A scan confirms a Plantar Fascia injury. In positive news, it doesn't require surgery. At this stage, it is difficult to provide an accurate timescale in terms of recovery. Cookie will undergo a period of rest and be reassessed in the next 10 days."
It's a big blow for a QPR defence that has found solidity after a bumpy start to the season. The London side has conceded just two goals in their last six league outings and are unbeaten in seven.


Cifuentes will now have to find a workaround to make do without his captain ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Swansea City. QPR are then back in action on December 29 with a visit to Norwich City.
Marti Cifuentes on ‘massive loss’ for QPR
Speaking to fans via the club's social media channel on December 24, Cifuentes said: "First of all, he's our captain and he's a very important player for us. Second, he's a fantastic guy and very important player in the changing room. It was very sad to see him in a lot of pain after the game. We were worried and now we know through the medical test what kind of injury it is.
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Hide Ad"It's going to be a massive loss. He has been so important but the whole group wants to give something back to him, to Zan, to Kader and the guys who are far from coming back. It's tough and we need to work for them.
"Hopefully it's as short as possible and we are going to respond with good results and good performances during his time out."
The Catalan coach went on to preview the Boxing Day fixture and admitted that there was little time for rest for his first team players. He said: "We're gonna work now until late in the office planning the game, tomorrow we are back at training and we need to go to Swansea in the coach.
“That's the reality of football. I'm glad that Boxing Day is an important day for football in England and hopefully it's going to be a great football game with our fans coming, and hopefully we can give them a good Christmas gift."
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