Queens Park Rangers boss Michael Beale has confirmed that Jake Clarke-Salter has suffered a hamstring injury and he will be assessed in the coming days.
The defender, who joined the R's in the summer on a free transfer after leaving Chelsea, made his debut for the club on the opening day of the season as the Londoners lost away to Blackburn.
Therefore, Clarke-Salter was expected to be involved against Middlesbrough over the weekend but he wasn't involved, and Beale told West London Sport that they are waiting to discover how bad the problem is.
"Unfortunately he felt a twinge in his hamstring. I don't know the extent of it yet."
Jimmy Dunne stepped in for Clarke-Salter as QPR beat Middlesbrough 3-2, with the Irishman putting in an assured display.
He is sure to continue alongside Rob Dickie whilst the former England youth international is out, whilst Beale also has Conor Masterson and Joe Gubbins as options if they are required moving forward.
The R's are back in action against Charlton in the League Cup tomorrow before facing Sunderland in the Championship on Saturday.
The verdict
Firstly, this is a real blow for Clarke-Salter because he would've wanted to have a good start to his QPR career, so this is a setback he didn't need.
The fact he only felt a twinge is encouraging and indicates it's not really serious, but he could still face a few weeks out, with the full extend of the problem sure to be known soon.
In the meantime, Beale will feel he has enough cover and he may have to give some of the youngsters a chance against the Addicks to see how they cope.
Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
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