Opinion: Mark Warburton ought to considering cutting ties with this QPR man in January | OneFootball

After guiding Queens Park Rangers to a ninth-place finish in the Championship last season, Mark Warburton has helped his side reach new heights at this level during the current campaign.

Currently in the play-offs in the second-tier, the Hoops will unquestionably fancy their chances of launching a push for automatic promotion in the coming months.

Although QPR will need to improve in a defensive sense in order to challenge Fulham and AFC Bournemouth for a top-two performance, their attacking displays have been incredibly impressive.

Ilias Chair and Chris Willock have been the two architects behind the Hoops’ ability to score regularly in this division as they have provided an abundance of creativity.

Chair has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years and has already managed to find the back of the net on six occasions in the second-tier for his side this season.

Meanwhile, Willock has also improved considerably under the guidance of Warburton since joining the club last year.

Currently averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.16 in the Championship, the attacking midfielder will be determined to add to the eight direct goal contributions that he has provided at this level over the Christmas period.

Due to the form illustrated by Chair and Willock, George Thomas has been used sparingly by QPR this season.

Limited to just seven appearances in all competitions, the 24-year-old has been left on the substitutes bench in each of the Hoops’ last four league games.

With the transfer window set to open in January, Warburton may need to make a decision regarding Thomas’ future if the Welshman is unable to force his way into QPR’s side.

Quiz: 30 questions about QPR's best strikers from the last 5 years - Can you score 30/30?

When you consider that Thomas has failed to score a goal for the Hoops since making the move to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium last year, it could be argued that he may not possess the qualities needed to compete in the Championship.

Given that Thomas’ contract is not set to expire until 2023, QPR may be able to secure a reasonable fee for the attacking midfielder if they are willing to part ways with him.

Warburton could then potentially use the money generated from Thomas’ sale to strengthen his squad.

In order to convince Warburton to keep him at the club for the foreseeable future, the midfielder will need to step up to the mark in the coming weeks as he is currently averaging an extremely underwhelming WhoScored match rating of 6.06 in the Championship.