Les Ferdinand recruited Lyndon Dykes to west London within the hope he’d be the person to spearhead QPR’s push for the promised land of the Premier League.
Two years on from his Livingston change, the England legend remains to be satisfied the Scotland striker is destined for the large time.
However what he’s not fairly so sure on, nevertheless, is whether or not Dykes will nonetheless be at Loftus Street when he makes that climb up from the Championship to the highest flight down south.
The 26-year-old was a key a part of the R’s drive up the standings within the early a part of final season as Mark Warburton’s staff climbed as excessive as fifth, sparking goals of a play-off push at Wembley.
However along with his involvement restricted by accidents throughout the second half of the marketing campaign, QPR’s momentum pale and the Hoops ultimately trudged residence in mid-table.
With former Rangers boss Warburton relieved of his duties, one other ex-Ibrox servant Michael Beale is now being talked-up as the person to information the membership again after seven years within the second tier.
Steven Gerrard’s present right-hand man at Aston Villa will little doubt have large plans for Dykes if he decides to go it alone in his first administration gig - however provided that the likes of Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth don't resurrect the curiosity they have been credited with within the large frontman again in January.
And that’s one thing Ferdinand admits can't be dominated out.
“When he got here to QPR, we made no bones in regards to the truth this membership could be a stepping stone for him,” he informed File Sport.
“We have been up as excessive as fifth at one level this season and had hopes we might make the Premier League. Sadly it by no means labored out.
“Once we signal a participant, we all the time inform them our ambition as a membership is to get again into the Premier League however a few of it's possible you'll get there earlier than us.
“That’s as a result of when you’re that good, your performances are so constant, that one other membership is available in and buys you.
“However our intention is to get there too and we wish to do it with the gamers we’ve acquired - and that features Lyndon.
“Nevertheless, I’m lifelike about it too and I do know that when you play effectively at a Championship membership it could actually catch the attention of golf equipment within the Premier League.”
Dykes made a good begin within the Large Smoke, netting 12 objectives in his first season with QPR.
He was heading in the right direction to prime that this time period earlier than a muscle criticism dominated him out for a six-week spell that included March’s pleasant clashes towards Austria and Poland.
He’s again match now however not fairly at peak type forward of tomorrow’s all necessary World Cup qualifying crunch towards Ukraine having drawn a clean in his final 13 appearances for membership and nation.
But Ferdinand is aware of a factor or too about scoring objectives having gained icon standing throughout prolific spells with Newcastle and Spurs.
And he has each religion that Dykes is primed to come back good once more simply when his nation wants him.
He mentioned: “Lyndon has completed a implausible job transferring from Livingston to QPR and clearly what he’s doing with Scotland.
“He simply must maintain his head down and maintain progressing.
“He’s an enormous, level-headed man who works extraordinarily arduous for his staff.
“I believe he additionally realises there’s much more to come back from himself and he simply has to maintain engaged on that enchancment.
“There’s so much occurred to him in a brief house of time and there can be a levelling off interval.
“I believe he’s had that, however it’s time for him to kick on once more.
“He’s been implausible for QPR since he got here to the membership and he retains rising and rising.
“He’ll simply maintain getting higher.
“He’s a kind of gamers I have a look at and suppose there’s much more to come back from Lyndon Dykes.”
Ferdinand was intently concerned within the negotiations that noticed Livi land a £2million windfall after they agreed to promote the striker in the summertime of 2020.
It’s been simply as worthwhile for Dykes’ new membership, who've been rewarded with 22 objectives since he stop the Tony Macaroni Enviornment.
And it’s that form of encouraging return on funding that has satisfied Ferdinand to maintain a more in-depth eye on Scotland this summer season.
“We’ve acquired scouts up there and we’re all the time asking brokers primarily based in Scotland to ship us suggestions for gamers so we are able to maintain tabs on them,” mentioned the QPR chief.
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“We maintain a agency eye on the Scottish league.
“I’ve even been up a number of occasions myself to take a look at a number of gamers from totally different golf equipment.
“So it's a market we attempt to discover as a lot as we are able to.
“We’ve seen a number of good gamers coming down the highway in the previous couple of years like John McGinn and Billy Gilmour.
“And we’ve had lads like Dom Ball and Lee Wallace right here at QPR who’ve clearly performed up in Scotland too so it’s a league we really feel we are able to dip into and decide up first rate expertise.”