Les Ferdinand recruited Lyndon Dykes to west London in the hope he’d be the man to spearhead QPR’s push for the promised land of the Premier League.
Two years on from his Livingston switch, the England legend is still convinced the Scotland striker is destined for the big time.
But what he’s not quite so certain on, however, is whether Dykes will still be at Loftus Road when he makes that climb up from the Championship to the top flight down south.
The 26-year-old was a key part of the R’s drive up the standings in the early part of last season as Mark Warburton’s team climbed as high as fifth, sparking dreams of a play-off push at Wembley.
But with his involvement limited by injuries during the second half of the campaign, QPR’s momentum faded and the Hoops eventually trudged home in mid-table.
With former Rangers boss Warburton relieved of his duties, another ex-Ibrox servant Michael Beale is now being talked-up as the man to guide the club back after seven years in the second tier.
Steven Gerrard’s current right-hand man at Aston Villa will no doubt have big plans for Dykes if he decides to go it alone in his first management gig - but only if the likes of Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth do not resurrect the interest they were credited with in the big frontman back in January.
And that’s something Ferdinand admits cannot be ruled out.
“When he came to QPR, we made no bones about the fact this club can be a stepping stone for him,” he told Record Sport.
“We were up as high as fifth at one point this season and had hopes we could make the Premier League. Unfortunately it never worked out.
“When we sign a player, we always tell them our ambition as a club is to get back into the Premier League but some of you may get there before us.
“That’s because if you’re that good, your performances are so consistent, that another club comes in and buys you.
“But our intention is to get there too and we want to do it with the players we’ve got - and that includes Lyndon.
“However, I’m realistic about it too and I know that if you play well at a Championship club it can catch the eye of clubs in the Premier League.”
Dykes made a decent start in the Big Smoke, netting 12 goals in his first season with QPR.
He was on course to top that this term before a muscle complaint ruled him out for a six-week spell that included March’s friendly clashes against Austria and Poland.
He’s back fit now but not quite at peak form ahead of tomorrow’s all important World Cup qualifying crunch against Ukraine having drawn a blank in his last 13 appearances for club and country.
Yet Ferdinand knows a thing or too about scoring goals having gained icon status during prolific spells with Newcastle and Spurs.
And he has every faith that Dykes is primed to come good again just when his nation needs him.
He said: “Lyndon has done a fantastic job moving from Livingston to QPR and obviously what he’s doing with Scotland.
“He just needs to keep his head down and keep progressing.
“He’s a big, level-headed guy who works extremely hard for his team.
“I think he also realises there’s a lot more to come from himself and he just has to keep working on that improvement.
“There’s a lot happened to him in a short space of time and there will be a levelling off period.
“I think he’s had that, but it’s time for him to kick on again.
“He’s been fantastic for QPR since he came to the club and he keeps growing and growing.
“He’ll just keep getting better.
“He’s one of those players I look at and think there’s a lot more to come from Lyndon Dykes.”
Ferdinand was closely involved in the negotiations that saw Livi land a £2million windfall when they agreed to sell the striker in the summer of 2020.
It’s been just as profitable for Dykes’ new club, who have been rewarded with 22 goals since he quit the Tony Macaroni Arena.
And it’s that kind of encouraging return on investment that has convinced Ferdinand to keep a closer eye on Scotland this summer.
“We’ve got scouts up there and we’re always asking agents based in Scotland to send us recommendations for players so we can keep tabs on them,” said the QPR chief.
“We keep a firm eye on the Scottish league.
“I’ve even been up a few times myself to have a look at a few players from different clubs.
“So it is a market we try to explore as much as we can.
“We’ve seen a lot of good players coming down the road in the last few years like John McGinn and Billy Gilmour.
“And we’ve had lads like Dom Ball and Lee Wallace here at QPR who’ve obviously played up in Scotland too so it’s a league we feel we can dip into and pick up decent talent.”
