New QPR signing Charlie Austin could make his second debut for the club tonight according to boss Mark Warburton as the Rs travel to Kenilworth Road to face Luton.

The striker re-joined Rangers on loan from Premier League side West Brom on Saturday, almost five years on from the day that he left the club to join Southampton.

And QPR fans will know exactly what to expect from their returning striker, after 48 goals in 89 appearances in his first spell at the club, including 20 strikes in the successful 2013/14 promotion campaign.

With his side finding the back of the net just 20 times in their 22 league matches this campaign, Warburton is well aware of how Austin’s quality will add an extra dimension to the frontline.

“Obviously Charlie is a quality player. He is well known at the club, the fanbase know him, he is a proven goalscorer and he will help us on the pitch and off it as well in terms of mentoring the young strikers,” he said.

“So Lyndon [Dykes], Macca [Macauley Bonne] and Charlie Kelman will benefit enormously from working with and alongside Charlie Austin.

“And he wants to do that which is really important.”

QPR head to Kenilworth Road tonight on the back of a ten-match winless streak, with the Rs not tasting success since a 3-2 victory over Rotherham in November. 

With just five goals in that ten-game spell, there is no secret as to where the problem lies for Rangers so far this season, leaving Austin the man tasked with getting the goals in the second-half of the campaign.

Lyndon Dykes and Ilias Chair both have five goals apiece heading into QPR’s first league match of 2021, while Macauley Bonne has netted just twice, with a lack of firepower leaving them just two points above the drop zone.

And after an extra-time defeat to neighbours Fulham in the FA Cup on Saturday, the task doesn’t get any easier for Warburton’s men, as they face a Luton side unbeaten at home in their last seven matches. 

“They have done very well. They made a very strong start, are very hard to beat and well organised,” Warburton said.

“When you watch them play they know their roles and they work really hard, there is a real togetherness and unity about the team.

“We have no doubt about the quality of the opponent we face - but Nathan [Jones] will know how good we can be as well.

“We know we are a good team and we know we are close, but it’s all about goals – and there’s that broken record again!

“It’s all about putting the ball in the back of the net, that is how you are judged and we have to recognise the importance of doing that better.”