Queens Park Rangers manager Julien Stephan has given an encouraging update on Richard Kone's fitness ahead of Wednesday's Championship clash with Derby County, confirming the striker is ready to start and complete at least 45 minutes after returning from injury.
Kone, who finished as QPR's top scorer last season, made his comeback from the bench during Friday's 1-1 draw at West Ham. The 23-year-old Ivorian had been sidelined since picking up a knee problem in the win over Middlesbrough last month, which forced him to sit out subsequent league fixtures against Charlton, West Brom and Preston.
His road back to full fitness suffered a further complication when he returned to action with QPR's development side against Bolton Wanderers' Under-21s, only to be withdrawn after half an hour following a robust challenge. That setback meant Kone spent the international break continuing his rehabilitation before resuming full training last week and earning a place among the substitutes for the trip to West Ham.
With Kone having shown he can handle a run-out off the bench, Stephan believes the forward is now in a position to feature from the first whistle against a struggling Derby side.
"If he came on against West Ham and if he was able to play 20-25 (minutes), we can imagine he will be able to start," Stephan said. "It is a question of choice, like for all the other players, but when one player did not start for a long time and started to play 20-25, you can imagine he can play a minimum of 45."
However, the QPR head coach also had to confirm fresh concern elsewhere in his squad, with Tariq Lamptey suffering an ankle problem during the same match at West Ham. Despite also coming off the substitutes' bench in that game, Lamptey will now be unavailable for the visit of Derby, with the club's medical team working to determine the extent of the damage.
"Based on the last game, only Tariq Lamptey (is out), who had an ankle injury, and the medical staff will have to continue to assess him this week, but he will not be available," Stephan explained. He added that scans would begin early in the week, with a clearer picture expected to emerge by Friday.
"We are only on Monday now, so they will have to continue to assess him probably across this week and at the end of the week we will have probably more clear information but what I can say now for sure he will be out for the next game," the Frenchman said.
Elsewhere in the treatment room, forward Rumarn Burrell remains out after cutting short his involvement with the Jamaica national team due to injury, though he has begun individual training as part of his recovery process. Winger Ilias Chair is also progressing well and is close to rejoining full team training sessions.
Japanese international Koki Saito continues to have his playing time carefully managed following the injury he sustained in the same Middlesbrough fixture that affected Kone, and remains unavailable for selection at this stage.
Despite the various fitness issues affecting the squad, QPR have made an impressive start to their Championship campaign, sitting sixth in the table after nine matches played. Stephan will be hoping Kone's return to full training duties can provide an added attacking boost as his side look to continue their positive momentum against a Derby team currently fighting to climb away from the lower reaches of the division.
Based on reporting from standard-football.