Former Town loanee Macauley Bonne’s QPR future appears in question having been left out of their squad for last night’s 1-0 defeat to Blackpool with manager Mick Beale not ruling out his exit before the transfer window closes on September 1st.
Bonne, who spent last season with the Blues, his hometown club, scoring 12 times, had been a used sub in the West Londoners’ three previous Championship games and started their Carabao Cup tie against his former club Charlton.
Quizzed on why the striker was left out of the 18 last night, Rangers manager Beale said the former Colchester man has dropped below 19-year-old Sinclair Armstrong in the pecking order.
"Macauley was just not selected,” Beale told West London Sport. "I think the impact of Sinclair means when you’re looking at your bench, obviously you’re allowed seven and one’s a goalkeeper, maybe two to cover defensive positions, two for midfield and two up the park.
"I chose to go with young Sinclair over him. Macauley’s had a really good pre-season, we have a really good relationship, everything’s clear and out in the open with Macauley and where he stands in the squad.
"I just feel at the moment that Sinclair earnt the right and certainly with his impact at the weekend I thought it was the right decision and I think we saw that with his performance.”
Quizzed on the likelihood of Bonne, who has a year left on his contract, moving on before the transfer window closes, Beale added: "I think if the right offer comes along for any of our players in this window they could move. That’s the situation we’re in as a club.
"It comes down to whether Macauley is going to be happy. In a few weeks everybody is going to be fit, hopefully, and there’s going to be a lot of competition for places. I think in the next two weeks there might be one or two players knocking on the door.”
Town are on the lookout for another striker ahead of the deadline with Leicester’s George Hirst having been a target throughout the summer.
As reported yesterday, the Foxes are understood to have offered the former Sheffield Wednesday youngster a new contract with a view to sending him out on loan to the Championship.
We understand the Blues are still interested in signing Hirst on a permanent basis but with that deal now appearing less likely to go through have alternative options under consideration.
As TWTD reported last month, if the Blues are forced to look elsewhere for another striker then it isn’t impossible that Bonne could come into their thinking.