No quick route back into the side for frozen-out midfielder, says Hughes

Mark Hughes admits there may be no quick route back to regular first-team football for Adel Taarabt, hinting that the midfielder is still paying the price for the opening-day defeat against Swansea.

Taarabt has not featured in the league for the Rs since they were taken apart 5-0 by the Swans at Loftus Road.

The Morocco international (below) was one of a number of players who bore the brunt of Hughes’s frustration at that shock result, and the manager is calling on Taarabt to prove his worth on the training pitch and fight his way back into the team.

However, Hughes insisted that Taarabt, who signed a new contract extension during the summer, remains central to his long-term plans.

“On the first day of the season we were beaten at home quite comprehensively, and I made changes,” Hughes told the Times.

“Those changes affected Adel. But he’s very well thought of here, this is the best place for him and he will get games.

“But he has to bide his time like a number of other players do. There are a number of players waiting to get a run in the team, and they will get that run.

“They just need to keep on focusing on working hard on training and making it difficult to leave them out of the team.”

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