After securing a 1-0 win against Preston North End in his first game as QPR manager, it is starting to become clear which players will become crucial under Neil Critchley.

The Hoops disregarded the form table to earn three points against Ryan Lowe's side on Saturday, with Jimmy Dunne's goal enough to seal the win.

The former Blackpool boss made just two changes in the win, with Rob Dickie coming on to help secure the three points, while Olamide Shodipo came on for the final stages to give Chris Willock a rest.

It was a rare appearance for the 25-year-old, who can no longer be considered the exciting youngster that he once was viewed as at Loftus Road.

Shodipo has now made nine appearances in the Championship this season, with just two starts, averaging a shocking 6.16 rating from WhoScored which ranks him as the 21st-best performer in the Hoops' squad.

Had Ilias Chair not been featuring for Morocco at the World Cup in Qatar at the same time as the game, then it seems likely that Shodipo would have been much further down the pecking order in Critchley's thinking, so when he returns from international duty, the Irishman may continue to struggle for game time.

The former Oxford United loanee has now made 45 appearances for the Hoops, in which he has failed to score a single goal and has just one assist, which suggests that he is far from good enough to be a regular at Loftus Road.

Although he did catch the eye in his loan spell with Oxford, contributing 12 goals and three assists in League One, the £4.8k-per-week earner has failed to bring that form with him to the Championship.

Shodipo's contract at QPR is set to expire at the end of the season, so Critchley must now look to sell him in January to try and get a fee for the winger, who has progressed from the academy to the first team, without ever really looking like he could be a regular.

Football is a ruthless business and Critchley needs better players if he wants to push QPR up the table in the second half of the season, so Shodipo has to go.