Queen Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton has been handed a significant boost ahead of his side's upcoming Championship clash with Nottingham Forest as long-term absentee Sam Field stepped up his recovery from injury this afternoon.
As confirmed by the club's official Twitter account, the midfielder was named in the Hoops' Under-23 side for their Professional Development League Two South clash with Bristol City.
After joining QPR on a permanent deal earlier this year, Field would have been hoping to establish himself as a mainstay in the club's starting eleven during the opening months of the 2021/22 campaign.
However, the former West Bromwich Albion man suffered a serious knee injury in pre-season which required him to undergo surgery.
Since picking up this issue, Field has made considerable progress in terms of his rehabilitation and is now fit enough to feature for the club's youth outfit.
Whilst the midfielder will not be available for tonight's League Cup clash with Sunderland, he could be in line to make his first senior appearance of the season in the not too distant future.
In Field's absence, QPR have managed to win six of their 14 league fixtures this season and are currently seventh in the Championship standings.
The Verdict
This is unquestionably a major boost for Warburton as Field managed to illustrate some real signs of promise under his guidance during a loan spell at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium last season.
In the 19 appearances that he made for QPR, the midfielder completed 81% of his passes whilst he also averaged 1.4 tackles per game and 1.1 interceptions per game (as per WhoScored).
Having averaged a WhoScored match rating of 6.58 in the Championship, it is fair to say that Field will need to work on his consistency when he is fit enough to feature for his side.
Providing that the 23-year-old is able to hit the ground running in the coming months, there is every chance that he could help his side achieve a great deal of success in the Championship by playing regularly at this level alongside the likes of Stefan Johansen and Dominic Ball in the heart of midfield.