QPR star targets August return

Rangers’ head physio Nigel Cox has revealed that Faurlin has undergone a successful operation and is ready to step up his recovery.

Faurlin suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage during the FA Cup clash with MK Dons in January.

“It has been well documented that Ali will not return this season and the target is for him to be back for the start of the next campaign,” Cox told the club’s official website.

“Injuries such as this tend to take six to seven months to recover from.

“That timeframe would take us to August and we are hopeful that if there are no problems along the way we will be able to have Ali available for the start of next season.”

Faurlin has spent the last two months in Spain, where he was operated on by famous surgeon Ramon Cugat.

“Ali wanted to have a Spanish-speaking surgeon so that he could communicate directly without any obstacles,” Cox said.

“Ali is a very intelligent young man and he was keen for this to be arranged as he felt it would benefit his rehabilitation.

“Ramon is a very experienced and highly respected surgeon. He is linked very closely to Barcelona Football Club and recently operated on David Villa and Andreu Fontas.

“Ali ruptured the cruciate in his right knee so an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction was needed.

“I travelled out to Barcelona with Ali the night before the operation which is when we met Ramon, and the surgery took place the following day.

“They actually took part of Ali’s patella tendon from the front of his knee and replaced the damaged ligament with a graft of Ali’s own body so that it wouldn’t reject.

“It was a very successful operation, and the programme since then has involved Ali remaining in Barcelona to carry out the initial stage of his rehab under the watchful eye of Ramon.

“I visited him a fortnight ago and he is getting to the point now where he will be out on the grass soon, and that is when he will return to England and we will take over his recovery.

“He is due back here very soon, potentially as early as next week. Then we will look to gradually step up his rehab. It will be great to have him back around the place.”