This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Ryan Manning is enjoying a fine start to the season and suggested that he and his teammates are loving the new pressure they are playing under.
What did he say?
The 23-year-old has had to operate in different roles along the left flank for Mark Warburton so far, but there is no doubt that he has made a big impression and is an important reason why the team hovering just outside the play-off positions.
Premier League clubs West Ham and Newcastle have reportedly taken an interest in Manning, who last week earned his first international call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad.
It is some change in fortunes for the left-back, who had found himself in and out of a struggling QPR team last season – even going out on loan – but his positive mindset is clear from listening to what he has to say.
Speaking on the Loftcast podcast, he explained what it is like playing under a new pressure at the upper end of the table, saying:
“They’re the places we all want to be in as a squad, when the gaffer says there’s a chance to go second tonight everyone is buzzing at that fact, everyone wants to be in that position, nobody’s really shying away from it or afraid to say it.
“Everyone is embracing it and enjoying where we are, winning games, the pressures of playing at the top half of the table, of having to go out to win to try and get into first, second and the top-six.
“Everyone’s relishing the opportunities.”
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Useful on and off the pitch
Manning is very level-headed for a player so young who is excelling currently, and he is a good example of the philosophy Warburton has instilled in the QPR squad since taking over.
Warburton himself deserves praise for setting the standards for his players to reach, as he may have been forgiven for setting a low bar considering the team’s low budget and its low finish in the last campaign.
As a result, the squad seems to have both belief and ambition, two factors which are a vital base for any team’s success, and if they can add the quality – and keep players like Manning – then they should be a mainstay in the top half of the table.
The Irishman’s words suggest there is no lack of strong characters in the squad, and that will be important to the team if things start going against them, such as their current winless run of three matches.
Manning, though, appears ambitious, and therefore he could be tempted by a move to the Premier League, particularly at the end of the campaign if QPR fall short of the play-off places.