QPR suffer double injury blow ahead of Cats clash

Queens Park Rangers will be without two first team players when Sunderland visits Loftus Road this evening.

The two sides are set to square off in the Championship with Neil Critchley’s men having won just once in 16 games. To make matters worse, QPR have been handed a double injury blow ahead of the game.

Ex-Sunderland loanee Jake Clarke-Salter will definitely miss the clash after the former Chelsea man picked up a calf injury in training on Friday. The defender has started just 12 Championship matches this season following fitness issues this season.

Critchley will also likely be without Chris Willock after he picked up a calf injury during QPR’s last match against Millwall last weekend.

Critchley said of Willock: “It was unfortunate Chris had to come off so soon on Saturday, but he felt some tightness in his hamstring. He will be assessed today; we’re hopeful it’s not too serious.”

Former Sunderland man Denver Hume has been assured that he has a future at Portsmouth.

Hume has managed only seven minutes since John Mousinho’s Fratton Park appointment in January, which prompted the former Sunderland left-back to speak to his manager regarding his playing time at the League One club. John Mousinho, however, has insisted that the 26-year-old still has a future at Portsmouth.

Mousinho said: “I had this conversation with Denver the other day. I encourage all the guys that, if they want to come and speak, to do so at any time, there’s no problem at all.

"I told him not to take that as a reflection of what I think of him. When at Oxford, he was a player we looked at recruiting when he left Sunderland. Even until I left Oxford, we were keeping an eye on him as a player of interest, because I think he’s an excellent footballer.

"There are a couple of things which have been unfortunate for him. Number one is Connor’s form and how solid he has been in a back four.

”Denver is a fantastic young player and I’ve told him to keep working hard and the opportunities will hopefully come, but don’t take his lack of minutes as a reflection of anything that I think of him.”