Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes has confirmed that Taylor Richards will be part of his plans moving forward after struggling for game-time under Gareth Ainsworth.
Richards moved to Loftus Road on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion at the start of the 2022/23 season when Michael Beale was in the dugout but the deal included an obligation to buy clause.
At the end of the previous campaign, QPR permanently signed the 22-year-old despite Richards starting just one game with the London outfit during his loan spell, totalling 253 minutes in the Championship.
Richards made merely two appearances this season under Ainsworth, both coming back in August, including a start in the EFL Cup against Norwich City.
It seemed as though his time at QPR was already coming to an end but new head coach Cifuentes handed the young midfielder minutes last Saturday as Rangers drew 1-1 with relegation contenders Rotherham United.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s clash with Bristol City, the Spaniard confirmed that Richards could still have a big part to play this season [quotes via West London Sport]:
“This week Taylor Richards has been really, really good in training.
“We know about his quality. He is a player who has the capacity to change a game, as other players we have do, and it’s my job to get the best out of them.
“I’m not looking back at what happened before. What I see is a player that has the desire and has extreme quality on the ball,” he said.
“He is also taking a step to improve out of possession and his capacity to counter-press and work for the team.
“We know that when he has the ball he has the dribbling capacity and extreme passing skills, I would say.
“If we can get the best of him then he is definitely a player that can make a difference in a Championship game.”
Writer’s View
This must have been music to Richards’ ears after the ex-Manchester City player barely featured this season or under Ainsworth during his entire tenure in the QPR dugout.
However, the 22-year-old has been impressing Cifuentes in training and could finally start getting some game time on the pitch for the struggling second-tier side.
Deputy Head of Writing
