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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: We must be patient with Olamide Shodipo

Olamide Shodipo (left) has become a regular fixture in QPR's first-team squad this season (Pic: Press Association). EMPICS Sport

QPR boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has reiterated that Olamide Shodipo has a big part to play in his long-term plans at QPR, but says the club must be patient with him as he continues his development.

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The 19-year-old’s emergence in the Rs first team has been a rare bright spark from a challenging start to the campaign, with Hasselbaink promising supporters that they’ll be seeing a lot more of the Republic of Ireland Under-21 winger as the season progresses.

He told the Times: “We will definitely be putting him in and around the team regularly.

“We won’t be afraid of giving him minutes or starting him because we believe that’s the club we are in giving younger players the opportunities. He has plenty of potential.

“That’s what QPR was about in the past and that’s what we want it to be, now. We’re not going to be afraid of giving young players an opportunity and then it’s up to them if they take it or not.

“Mide is one of them. Niko (Hamalainen) is one of them. Osman (Kakay) is one of them.

“We do believe that Mide has a bright future but, that being said, you need to give him room to fail. That’s where we have to be better.”

The Dutchman is confident that Shodipo can go on to have a similar impact to that of Junior Hoilett – who recently linked up with former Rs boss Neil Warnock at Cardiff City – as he impressed while under his tutelage last season.

He added: “We think so, but you have to think of Mide’s age and how many matches he has played and what kind of experience he has. Junior; we got the best out of him but he had that experience.

“He had the pedigree behind him. Mide is learning and doesn’t have that experience.

“It’s the first time he’s training and playing in this intensity in his career and he’s doing really well. “

“He’s got that rawness, he’s not afraid, he has that streetness and that fight. It’s getting that discipline in him now and that knowhow and that really needs time.

“We want to be able to sell players whose values are £20-25 million instead of us keeping on buying.

“We need to produce young talent at this football club. Having hungry players like Mide here will help us take this football club forward – I have absolutely no doubt about that.

“More than anything we want players who want to be here and wear the shirt – we had to change the mentality at this football club.

“We don’t want players who are coming to QPR for the money or just because we are a club in London –that era has ended.”