QPR are ready to abandon their search for a centre-back because of Conor Masterson’s impact.
The Irish youngster was excellent on his full league debut against Leeds on Saturday, having also impressed in his two previous first-team outings.
And West London Sport reports that manager Mark Warburton is set to ditch plans to send Masterson out on loan.
Asked if he still plans to loan Masterson out, Warburton said: “Probably not, after that.”
He added: “Things happen for a reason. We’ve had Yoann out, Angel Rangel out and Toni out, so we were very thin.
“We’ve been lucky with our forwards keeping fit but we’ve struggled defensively. He was asked to plug a gap, did really well and you need to take the chance when it comes along.
“He’s a young player and the challenge he was presented with, we had to give a lot of thought to it. Is it the right challenge and one he can rise to, or is it one that the young player crumbles under?
“He did well against Swansea and did well in the second half at Brentford. He deserved to start. A lot of thought went into that. Toni Leistner was fit.
“You saw Conor’s response. He was excellent. The most pleasing thing for me was that he thoroughly enjoyed it. He loved it.
“He loved playing, he loved the competition and the challenge. All credit to him.”
Warburton has been keen to sign a defender but now appears to be content to wait until the summer.
Asked if he expected much activity before the window closes, Warburton said: “No, not coming in. We’re very clear about the financial foundations being built. It’s better to be honest with the fans.
“If we bring anyone in they have to be better than what we’ve got and to get better than what we’ve got is expensive in this window. So you’re much better off keeping your gunpowder dry.”