31/05/2012 by David McIntyre Alejandro Faurlinâs return to action cannot come soon enough â both for the player himself and the QPR fans who hold him in such high esteem. His immense popularity was underlined by the stick I took last season for suggesting he was seen by some opposing managers as a potential weak link in the Rangers side and might find the going tough in the Premier League. It didnât go down well with the many supporters who believe Faurlin is tailor-made for the top flight. And until the knee injury which ended his campaign in January, he was ever-present and reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham. Faurlin, who is about to enter his fourth year at Loftus Road, enjoys the feeling of proving doubters wrong. Mark Hughes has described Faurlin's absence as "deepy frustrating". âItâs funny because in football people have opinions and as a professional you accept that,â he says. âI am used to it because at the beginning there were people who didnât think I would be a player. Then they said I wouldnât play in the first team and I did. âWhen I came to England some people said to me: âEngland? Never â itâs too fastâ and they thought I wouldnât be able to play in this country, but I did. âThen going into the Premier League I did my best and just kept trying to improve as much as possible. âYou can always prove yourself at every level you move up to if you have the quality and the belief in yourself. âItâs all about hard work and humility. If you believe in yourself and you know what you can do then that is what matters most.â Faurlinâs time at Rangers has been challenging to put it mildly. He was admired for the way he handled the furore of an FA investigation into his move to west London. But even before the events of last spring, he had shown great maturity to settle quickly in a new country - and at a basket-case of a club that simply didnât do stability. âI think Iâve grown up a lot in English football I have to say,â he says. âItâs been tough at times â very tough â but there are also people who helped me. âFirst of all there was Jim Magilton, who I must thank a lot. Neil Warnock too. I really hope I can continue improving with Mark Hughes. FAURLIN FACTS Joined QPR in 2009 Player of the year in 2010 Has made 101 starts for the club 21 of them last season Scored in 3-0 win at Wolves âI just look forward to carrying on working and keep improving myself. Itâs what I always try to do.â Faurlinâs next big challenge is to return for the start of the new season. He was recently given the green light to step-up his recovery and is hopeful of being able to join his team-mates for full pre-season training. In the meantime, he will spend most of the summer completing his rehabilitation at Rangersâ Harlington training ground â often with only Kieron Dyer for company. âEveryone is happy with the way the knee is recovering and now itâs a case of building up the muscle around it,â Faurlin explains. âIt will mean a lot to me to play again because the last few months have been difficult, but I keep smiling because you must always enjoy your life. âItâs really frustrating because we worked so hard to be promoted and have the chance to play in the Premier League, and then I couldnât play for six months. âBut now, thanks to the guys, we have stayed up and I will have that chance again, which is fantastic. âI donât care about holidays. I just want to stay here and make sure I do everything I need to do to get back. âAll I care about is the games â being in the dressing room, being with the other guys. I really look forward to it because I miss it. I really, really miss it.â
So that's why we kept Dyer - to keep Ale company. Sincerely hope that his rehab goes smoothly, but somehow don't think he'll be ready for start of the season.
Hmm, having Dyer for a rehab buddy is a bit like being in a cell with a condemned man. Still, Ali sounds bright enough.
I'm sure he wont be rushed. Can't wait to see him play again. Hope he gets back to what he was. Outstanding attitude and player.
He has incredible modesty and real team spirit - and best of all, seems to love QPR! Really can't wait to see him and Diakate next season
Having Faurlin back at the same lvl if was when he left will as big if not bigger than any of our summer signings and I'm also glad they have kept Dyer on as a rehab buddy, awesome support from the club getting someone of Dyer's experience to help Al through.
I realy hope when he returns he's the same player and hope he doesn't rush his return. Mackie didn't rush back and came back even stronger.