Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Critchley believes that Tyler Roberts can be a 'really important player for his side in the second half of the season after his brace managed to salvage a point at Reading.
QPR were 2-0 down at half-time thanks to goals from but fought back well in a dominant display after the restart, with Roberts scoring his first with an outstanding finish after being teed up by debutant Jamal Lowe.
He was then on hand to nod home the equaliser when he followed up the rebound from Joe Lumley’s point-blank save from Ethan Laird.
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Roberts has struggled with injuries since joining on loan from Leeds United, having torn his thigh last season.
However, R’s boss Critchley insists the 24-year-old’s quality is not in doubt and that he needs a run of games to get his campaign up and running.
“You know with Tyler that he has the quality but it is about getting him in the best physical condition," Critchley told West London Sport. "It’s been a bit stop-start for him but he has shown good focus in his approach to training.
"I said to him yesterday ‘You are good for a goal and I think you’re going to score’. When you see his quality in training, he can score off both feet and looks so good.
"It was a terrific first goal and I love those type of goals for the second – they are goalscorer’s goals.
"When he scores two goals I didn’t particularly want to bring him off because there is a chance he may get a hat-trick. But he was dead on his feet and he put a real shift in. We have said to him, he needs to max out and he needs to play himself into form.
"It has been a frustrating season for him but I hope we can see more of today in the second half of the season because he can be a really important player for us."
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