Mark Warburton has ruled out the prospect of George Thomas leaving Queens Park Rangers on loan this summer.

The attacking midfielder moved to Loftus Road last summer after leaving Leicester City but was limited to just five starts in all competitions during a frustrating first season at the club.

The 24-year-old came off the bench during QPR's Championship opener against Millwall on Saturday but looks like his first team opportunities could be limited this term due to the depth of Warburton's squad in W12.

While a potential loan move was put to the QPR head coach regarding Thomas, Warburton has insisted that the player remains a part of his plans for the upcoming season.

Speaking to West London Sport, Warburton said: "He had a lot of involvement towards the end of last season and if you look at how we play, in terms of Chris and Ilias, George is right there with them – at Middlesbrough we played all three of them.

“He provides energy, quality and he’s got that lovely ability to run beyond defenders as well.

“I’ve had a lot of enquiries; will we let George out on loan? Absolutely not. He’s got a big role to play for us this season.”

The verdict

While Mark Warburton is clearly keen to keep George Thomas at the club, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him move on this summer.

Opportunities look like they're going to be limited at Loftus Road this term and at the age of 24 it's going to be essential that the attacking midfielder gets regular first team football.

Perhaps those opportunities will present themselves with the Hoops as the season unfolds, but I think that it's a situation that the player needs to weigh up carefully.

Thomas can't afford to waste another campaign and so the coming weeks could be key.