Smyth could be allowed to leave QPR on loan

Steve McClaren has indicated that Paul Smyth could be allowed to leave QPR on loan ahead of next week’s deadline.

Portsmouth are interested in the 20-year-old forward, who was not in the matchday squad for Rangers’ 1-0 win against Wigan on Saturday.

And manager McClaren suggested after the game that he is open to Smyth moving elsewhere in order to play first-team football.

McClaren, who recently allowed Ryan Manning to join Rotherham on loan, said: “We’ll have to look. We’ve got some good talent here – good youngsters – and a game like today you maybe can’t play them.”

Loan signing Tomer Hemed scored the winner at Loftus Road, where McClaren switched to a 4-4-2 formation and asked Ebere Eze to play on the flank.

“Eze, this was a tough game for him today,” McClaren said.

“We asked him to do a job and work hard and he did that. That’s part of his learning the other side of the game.

“He (Eze) has got great talent and we’ve got a lot of players like that – players that need football, not necessarily in our team but elsewhere, so we’re looking at that.”