Jason Puncheon wants to play Championship football at the very least once his loan spell at QPR comes to an end next week.

The Southampton striker has made just two substitute league appearances for Rangers since signing in the summer and is determined to find regular football.

Puncheon, 25, told Soccer AM that he is planning to have a quiet New Year's Eve ahead of what he hopes will be a defining year in his career.

"To be honest it's difficult for me because my loan finishes next week and I literally don't know where my future stands," he said.

"I won't speak to the manager [Nigel Adkins] until I walk through that door and I'll be told I'm training with the kids or I'm training with the first team so who knows until I get there next week?

"It's frustrating because I've got kids at home, I've got a girlfriend and not only that I want to play football myself so you don't want to be stuck in limbo. No footballer wants to be sitting in the stands and not playing - you want to play.

"I want to play football at the highest level. I'm 25 so I'm getting to that age where I'll peak, so minimally I want to stay in the Championship and if I can get to the Premiership then great - if not then I'll want to stay in the Championship.

"You can't afford to miss opportunities. Obviously I've got opportunities to go to certain places but I think that's down to Southampton. It's important and very vital for me and Southampton that a conversation happens next week to see where we go from here."

Mistakes

Puncheon enjoyed a four-month loan stint at Blackpool earlier this year and reports continue to circulate that Seasiders boss Ian Holloway wants to take Puncheon back on loan next week.

But the striker explained that what happens next isn't entirely up to him.

"Blackpool is a great place and Ian Holloway is a great manager; whether I go there or not is out of my hands at the minute," he reflected.

"A lot of stuff happened internally [at Southampton]; they made mistakes as much as I made mistakes. I think those things can be repaired but it's down to both parties."

The former MK Dons, Barnet and Plymouth forward has already moved clubs nine times.

When Helen asked him whether reports that he had an attitude problem are true, Puncheon said: "I'll be honest. When I was a kid and I was 18, 19, 20 I did - that was me being a young child and I accept that.

"But I think people saying I've got an attitude problem now is carried over from the past. Your past sticks with you and you've got to take it on the chin.

"Fans are going to tag you with that [an attitude problem] because that's the easy option; knowing someone has got a past with attitude, the easy option is to say 'he's a bad egg'.

"Any Southampton fan that knows any of those players in that dressing room knows I'm not a bad egg.

"I think my situation at QPR is a lot different to everybody else that has signed there. I was on loan, so for me I haven't been involved. I had an adult conversation with Neil [Warnock] and he was like 'weren't going to sign you now so it's down to you to go somewhere else' which obviously you accept.

"He said he was going to stay with his tried and trusted; he had Tommy Smith and Jamie Mackie and obviously he brought Shaun Wright-Phillips in. Mine was the last minute, if anything went wrong [deal]."

So what of those New Year's Eve plans?

"I think it's going to be a quiet one," he said. "I think I'm going to be in tonight. My missus isn't going to let me out tonight! Obviously I'm not playing at the minute and tomorrow [Sunday] I'm not in training. I think my loan finishes on Monday so literally I've got a few days to myself."