QPR manager Mick Beale does not believe Ethan Laird’s hamstring issue is serious after the defender was withdrawn in the first half of their Championship game against Reading.
The decision was made to replace the 21-year-old Manchester United loanee after he felt tightness in the muscle. Having been a prominent player for QPR since his switch, Beale decided to err on the side of caution.
“He was close to me and said he was feeling a bit of tightness, so obviously I’m not going to mess around with that,” he told West London Sport. "I don’t think it’s anything more than that at the moment.
READ MORE: What United have made of Ethan Laird's start to QPR loan spell
“He hasn’t pulled anything. We’ll have to assess it, obviously, in the coming days. But when he came off he just said to me: ‘Mick, it feels a bit tight’ and obviously after the schedule we’ve had it wasn’t worth the risk.”
Laird has played 10 games for QPR so far this season, starting all of them. Friday’s game was the first time he had not seen out the full 90 minutes for the Championship side.
The right-back has tallied two assists this season and got on the scoresheet himself in August’s 3-1 win over Hull. After spells at Swansea and Bournemouth last season, Laird was sent to spend the campaign at Loftus Road.
The youngster, who has played two senior games for United, featured for 148 minutes across three friendlies for Erik ten Hag in pre-season.
READ NEXT:
