QPR boss Mark Warburton will be without Luke Amos for the rest of the season, after it was revealed the midfielder suffered an ACL injury against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.

The 23-year-old joined the Rs permanently in the summer, after impressing on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in the previous campaign, but has been dealt a major setback after a promising start to the season.

It’s just over two years since Amos suffered a similar injury while playing a Premier League 2 match for Spurs, and Warburton is adamant he will come back stronger after his latest issue.

“We are all desperately disappointed for Luke,” he said to the club’s official website. “It is a huge blow for him, and for us as a squad. Luke was in excellent form for us and I had every confidence he was going to not only maintain that level but build on it over the coming months.

“Luke has been through this before. He has a fantastic attitude and is a very strong character and we know he can come through this successfully again, just as he did two years ago.

“So, for him this news is devastating. He’s such a lover of the game and he constantly wants to improve. Not only that, he is also mentally very strong, so he knows what’s happened, what he needs to do; he has been there before.”

The news of Amos’ injury comes at the start of a hectic few weeks for Rangers, with tonight’s clash with Preston North End the start of a run of six games in the next 17 days.

On the back of three consecutive league draws, including Saturday’s stalemate with AFC Bournemouth, tonight sees the perfect opportunity to bring that winning feeling back to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

After narrowly missing out on the play-offs last term, the visitors have just one victory of their own this season, with Alex Neil’s side struggling to get their campaign into gear. 

Warburton will also be hoping to welcome back striker Lyndon Dykes to the fold, after the frontman missed the trip to the Vitality Stadium with a niggle picked up on international duty with Scotland.

“We have options," he said. "Hopefully Lyndon will be back, so that gives us options up front.

“Preston are a very good team. Alex [Neil] will always prepare his players very well. They have strength in depth, there is no doubt about their quality and they pose a real threat. They have good physicality and they do what they do very well.

“They are very effective with their game plan and they have good individuals within their team unit, so we know we face a very tough challenge.”