Queens Park Rangers defender Amadou Mbengue is set to miss the remainder of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The 24-year-old was stretchered off late in QPR's 4-1 victory over Derby last week, and subsequent tests have confirmed the club's fears.
Mbengue to undergo surgery
Mbengue will undergo surgery before spending a significant period on the sidelines. He has been a popular figure in the QPR dressing room and has made 53 appearances for the west London club since joining from Reading last summer.
Manager's reaction
QPR manager Julien Stephan was visibly distressed when asked about Mbengue's injury after the Derby match. "I have a mix of emotions, because I'm very happy of course with the win but very sad with Amadou's situation and his injury," said Stephan.
"We don't know exactly what the situation is with his knee, but it's never good to see a player like this come off with a lot of pain. It's never a good sign."
Fighting for Amadou
Stephan called on his players to channel their emotions into Saturday's match against Birmingham. "Now we have to fight for Amadou on Saturday. This is the message that I wanted to deliver to the players," he said.
"We have to keep our energy very positive and our mindset very positive, and use our sadness for Amadou on Saturday and fight for him."
"Normally, when you play a game like this and you score four, you are very happy and very positive – and I have to be very positive about the way we played. Unfortunately we had the Amadou situation and that's why it's a mix of feelings for us."
