Jermaine Jenas believes that Tom Carroll’s dedication in training earlier in his career is paying off at QPR, and says the youngster could follow in the footsteps of Andros Townsend.
England Under-21 midfielder Carroll joined Rangers on a season-long loan during the summer, after coming through the academy system at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 21-year-old has impressed manager Harry Redknapp during his four appearances for QPR, and is set to return from an ankle injury after the international break.
Team-mate Jenas, who trained alongside Carroll while both players were at Spurs, says Carroll is beginning to fulfil his potential.
“I’m delighted for Tom. He went through a spell at Spurs where I don’t think they knew what was going to happen,” said Jenas. “He was very slight, but he’s worked very hard on his technique and fitness.
“He’s one of the players I use to see after training constantly working on his technique, so to see him grow into the player he is is nice to see.”
Jenas believes that Carroll will benefit from his season at Loftus Road in a similar fashion to Townsend, who spent the second half of last season on loan at QPR before rejoining Tottenham and has since broken into the senior England side.
Jenas added: “He needs a lot more games at the top level to get that confidence.
“He made the right decision coming here rather than playing Europa League games because the Championship is more competitive.
“Hopefully his time here will have the same effect as it had for Andros.”
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