QPR boss impressed by first showing from debutants Dembele and Saito

QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes insisted there is plenty more to come from on-loan wingers Karamoko Dembele and Koki Saito after both impressed on their debuts for the club.

Dembele, who has been borrowed from French side Brest for the season, set up Jimmy Dunne to pull the first goal back in the 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane, having started the game.

Saito has joined from Belgian club Lommel, and he provided the assist for Lyndon Dykes’ dramatic late equaliser after coming off the bench for the final half hour.

“We signed him (Saito) because he has this capacity in one v ones in the last third,” said Cifuentes.

“He’s very dynamic and can use both feet so it’s not easy for the defenders to defend against him because he can go both sides.

“He’s good at providing assists and breaking lines as well. I’m happy for him.

“I think he and Kada had a very good influence in the game.

“They played more minutes than planned but the game scenario was very demanding.

“Kada was very good in his minutes on the pitch. Perhaps in the last 10 or 15, he was more tired, but he showed excellent things as well.

“I’m very satisfied with both of them because they have been here just a few days with a lot of clips [shown to them], and probably their head was close to exploding with all the information they got, but they are good players and hopefully will help us a lot.”

After Lucas Andersen was forced off with a suspected groin injury, Dembele ended up playing in a central attacking role, having started the game on the right wing.

He played an important role in QPR changing the momentum of the game in the second half, and Cifuentes believes his versatility could be useful as he contends with injuries to both Andersen and Ilias Chair.

“[Dembele is a] player who can play mainly in these two positions, but I always say the same – football is more about situations and relations than just positions,” the Spaniard explained.

“Thinking that Dembele can only play as the right winger [is wrong] – It depends on who is the full back behind him, what is the structure of the defensive line that we need to attack.

“When Lucas got this groin issue, we thought we could [move Dembele inside], according to how the game was, and he did very good things.

Cifuentes added: “We are going to have a lot of games to play, so it’s important to keep as many as we can fit and keep everybody involved.

“It was not an easy choice to decide that Rayan [Kolli] would miss out [on the matchday squad] today, but at the same time, we have to be realistic about where we are.

“We are bringing in players who are very new in this league. They need some time to adapt and some time to get their best shape.

“They are coming from pre-season or holiday like Koki so we have to be realistic about expectations with those guys and the team because we are in a transition period and trying to add some players who will help us in this process.”