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 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.
On Christmas Eve, the club posted an update on the social media site X, which stated: “A scan reveals a Plantar Fascia injury. The good news is that surgery is not necessary.
It is challenging to establish a precise healing timeline at this point. After taking a break, Cookie will be evaluated again in ten 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.
Before the Boxing Day trip to Swansea City, Cifuentes will now need to figure out a way to get by without his captain. On December 29, QPR will return to play when they travel to Norwich City.
On December 24, Cifuentes addressed supporters on the team’s social media page, saying: “He’s our captain and a very important player for us, first and foremost. Secondly, he is an outstanding individual and a crucial member of the changing room.
After the game, it was heartbreaking to watch him in such misery. We were concerned, but the medical test has finally shown the type of harm.
“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.”
