Neil Warnock insists QPR are wrapping fit-again Jamie Mackie in cotton wool ahead of the new season.
Warnock insists striker will not be playing in pre-season games
QPR manager Neil Warnock insists the club are wrapping fit-again Jamie Mackie in cotton wool ahead of the new season.
The Scottish striker is back in training after missing much of the second half of the last campaign following a leg break in the club's FA Cup defeat to Blackburn in January.
Mackie has been working hard on his fitness during the summer, although Warnock is wary of letting him feature in any of the club's pre-season matches.
However, he believes the striker, who opened last term with eight goals in their first seven Championship games, will be ready for the start of the Premier League season.
Hard work
"He's working really hard Jamie," Warnock told
Sky Sports News. "You don't have to ask the question.
"He's worked really hard throughout the summer with Fitz Hall. They've both worked very hard
"Every time I've been in they've been there. He's desperate to play a game before the end of pre-season.
"We won't let him join in at the moment. He's joining in the warm-up and he's pulling his hair out to play."
