Goalkeeper Tom Heaton has returned to Manchester United at the end of his three month loan spell but says he is keen to rejoin QPR, possibly permanently, in the January transfer window.

The move would, on the face of it, be a little strange fort 23 year old Heaton whose Old Trafford contract expires in the summer. He has little chance of first team football there with three full internationals ahead of him in the pecking order but his chances have been limited to two Carling Cup appearances in three months with QPR as well. Having played more than 20 times in a similar spell with Cardiff City last season one would think he would be keen to move somewhere that gurantees first team football but it seems Heaton is keen to come and challenge Radek cerny for the number one jersey at Loftus Road on a more permanent basis.

Heaton told the Kilburn Times: “"In an ideal world, I would have stayed down at QPR until January, but there's no loophole in the agreement - it was a three-month loan and now we can't do anything until the new year. My contract at United's up in the summer and, from a personal point of view it's time to move on and start afresh, so I'm hoping to secure a permanent move in January. If there's a chance of that being to QPR, I'd certainly be very, very interested. I've had a couple of conversations with the manager and he's been happy with what I've done since I've been here. The manager's impressed me an awful lot as well and the club appear to be moving in the right direction. Every player wants to play in the Premier League and I'm no different.

"Would I have liked to play more games? Of course I would. By the same token, you have to look at Radek. I knew he was a great keeper before I came to QPR, we've got on very well and he's helped me with a lot of things in training. Radek was in the team when I arrived and he's been absolutely top drawer since then. That's credit to him and I can't have any complaints.”

Manager Jim Magilton told the club’s official website: “Tom has been outstanding for us from the day he walked into the club. He's a first class pro and sets the standards by which the others follow. We're quite hopeful that we will be able to do something in January and I'll be doing everything within my power to push it through. He's left an unbelievable impression with both myself, the staff and the players and we'd love to have him back here. There have been occasions where we've been very close to giving him a start. He was outstanding against Chelsea - undoubtedly our best player on the park that night. Being a number two is tough, but he's never moaned or groaned and has applied himself superbly. If we can get him back in January, we'll have two of the best keepers in the division on our books and we'll have no hesitation in throwing him in.”

Meanwhile Adel Taarabt has been rewarded for his fine form recently with a nomination for the division’s player of the month award for October. Taarabt returned from a spell on the bench to register a goal of the season contender against Preston North End and has been a star performer in QPR’s recent surge up the table. Peter Whittingham(Cardiff) Chris Weale (Leicester) and Alan Tate (Swansea) are the other nominees with the winner announced on Soccer AM this Saturday.

Kaspars Gorkss has been talking to the London Informer about his first goal for the club at Sheffield Wednesday on saturday. The latvian said: “Really, I'm not so worried about scoring. For me, the most important thing is the defensive side of my game and goals are just a bonus. I'd rather still concentrate on our defensive work because I think it's one side of the game we definitely can improve. I think sometimes we still concede too easily. We obviously don't have too many problems scoring, but keeping clean sheets has been a different story. Because of the goals I scored for Blackpool, everybody has been expecting me to do the same, but maybe I was just lucky back then. I've had some opportunities before now, but have been missing them. I think that's the thing with set pieces though - you need some sort of luck.”

Youngster Raheem Sterling made his bow for QPR’s reserve side at Aldershot on Tuesday - coming on for the last three minutes in a 3-2 victory against Crawley. Patrick Agyemang caught the eye with two goals and Alessandro Pellicori bagged one on his return from injury.

QPR: McWeeny, Rose, Harris, Ehmer, Parker, Ainsworth (Sutherland 88), Ephraim, Alberti (Sterling 87), German, Agyemang, Pellicori (Bailey 68)
Subs: Bewick, Bulmer

Gorkss waspartnered for the final hour of the game at Hillsborough by Matt Connolly who looked confident and assured on his return from glandular fever. Manager Jim Magilton told the club’s official website today: “'It was fantastic to have him back, I think he probably travelled up there not expecting to be involved, but we had every intention of naming him in the matchday squad. He's looked sharp in training despite being out for such a long time, so we had no hesitation in putting him on when Fitz went down injured. To perform as well as he did, especially when you consider how long he's been out for, was magnificent for him and the football club. He has the potential to be a fantastic defender. People forget that he's still a young man. He's only 22, but he's got a very bright future ahead of him.”

The rumour mill has this week linked QPR with a move for Sheffield Wednesday centre half Richard Wood. The player’s contract at Hillsborough runs out at the end of the season and he was booed by his own fans at the weekend against QPR after stories circulated stating he was talking to cash rich Notts County from League Two. A move there, and to South Yorkshire neighbours Barnsley, has apparently been ruled out leaving, supposedly, only QPR and Coventry in the frame. With Gorkss, Stewart, Hall and Connolly already in place at Loftus Road this once again smacks a little of an agent trying to drive up interest in his client. Sky Sports meanwhile reports that Rangers have offered a contract extension to Mikele Leigertwood.

In former QPR news despite winning the title in Northern Ireland last year Alan McDonald is on the brink of the sack at Glentoran after a 6-0 home defeat compounded a wretched start to their season. Another man in apparent decline is Simon Walton who dropped down to league Two on loan for first team football with Crewe after being frozen out at Plymouth but hasn’t featured since Dario Gradi retook control at Gresty Road. Walton played in the FA Cup against York at the weekend but Alex were beaten by the Conference side and Walton said: “Obviously losing at York hasn't helped me put forward much of a case for myself, but it's been very difficult at times. I've come here to get a run of games, but for one reason or another that's not happened for me. I was given a chance at York because Steve Schumacher was injured. Whether I've taken the chance, I don't know. But as long as I'm here I will do my best."

Elsewhere in the Championship this week Neil Warnock has told West Ham they cannot recall striker Freddie Sears from his loan spell at Selhurst Park until January. Sears is yet to score in 12 appearances for the Eagles but West Ham have an injury crisis with Carlton Cole and Dean Ashton sidelined. Peterborough are looking for a swift resolution to their managerial situation with Kettering boss Mark Cooper said to be in the frame. Cardiff’s Stephen McPhail has been ruled out for three months while Lee Hodson has signed a new three year contract at Watford.

Photo: Action Images

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