QPR manager Michael Beale says he is hopeful that attacker Chris Willock will be fit for his side's trip to Blackburn Rovers on the opening day of the Championship season.

Willock enjoyed an excellent campaign during the 2021/22 season, scoring seven goals and providing 11 assists in 35 Championship games for the R's.

However, the 24-year-old has not made an appearance since the middle of March due to a hamstring injury that left him needing surgery.

But with the attacker having now made a return to light training, it seems Beale is not ruling out Willock making a return to action in the first competitive game of the season.

Providing an update on Willock's road to recovery as pre-season continues, the QPR boss was quoted by West London Sport as saying: “He had a minor setback after his operation but returned to light training.

“He will hopefully be full training in two or three weeks. I wouldn’t rule him out of the Blackburn game.”

QPR are set to make the trip to the Ewood Park to face Blackburn in the opening game of their first Championship campaign under Beale on Saturday 30th July, in two week's time.

The Verdict

This update on Willock will no doubt be a big relief for those of a QPR persuasion.

The attacker was a key player for the R's last season with his ability to both create and take chances, while Beale is obviously going to want to hit the ground running with a strong start to his time in charge.

Having Willock available to call upon will no doubt boost his chances of doing that, given that attacking threat he provides so effectively.

However, considering the 24-year-old is unlikely to have had much of a pre-season under his belt to build up his fitness, it will be interesting to see whether Beale is willing to risk him from the start if he is in contention to feature on the opening day at Blackburn.