Isaac Hayden is unquestionably a player who deserves a second chance.
After struggling with injuries at Newcastle United, he went on loan to Norwich last season for a fresh start, only to suffer a season-ending injury.
Going out to Standard Liege in Belgium for a fresh start on the continent this season, impressing for his loan club, only to run into massive issues with alleged late and unpaid wages, which saw the NUFC loan player left out of the team and then return to Newcastle early from his loan deal, with Isaac Hayden threatening Standard Liege with legal action over the wage issues.
Isaac Hayden left for a relegation-threatened QPR in the second half of the season.
His first minutes for the Championship club came off the bench against Blackburn, with the Newcastle loan player assisting them to a 2-1 away victory.
Then, on Saturday, Isaac Hayden made his QPR debut at home against a Norwich side fighting for a promotion play-off spot.
The game ended 2-2, which was a solid result for QPR but a personal success for Isaac Hayden, who was man of the match and received a standing ovation from his new fans when he was substituted with four minutes remaining.
It is still early days for Isaac Hayden and QPR, but maybe this is the right club / right moment for him to help them avoid relegation and possibly make a permanent move there (he is still bound to NUFC until 30 June 2026 owing to Mike Ashley’s insane contract policy).
A win over Stoke in midweek should finally lift QPR out of the relegation zone; best wishes to Isaac Hayden and his new temporary (for now) club.
Isaac Hayden, a midfielder loaned from Newcastle United on deadline day, could be the most important of the players coming in.
The 28-year-old has extensive Championship experience from his time at Newcastle, Norwich, and Hull City, and his knowledge of the game was on full display against his former club on Saturday.
Hayden made four tackles, the most of any player on the pitch, and added three interceptions to help QPR restrict Norwich’s dangerous forwards in the first half.
As the deepest midfielder in Cifuentes’ team, his defensive contribution is notable, but he must also play a key part when QPR has possession.
With Cifuentes encouraging his team to play out of defence whenever possible, the holding midfielder is responsible for moving the ball and getting his team up the pitch.
Hayden excelled at this on Saturday, completing 93% of his passes while also making four critical passes.
The Arsenal academy graduate had to be removed in the 86th minute due to cramp, but when Lyndon Dykes took his place, Loftus Road gave him the kind of standing ovation normally reserved for Chris Willock or Ilias Chair’s goal-scoring heroics.
Cifuentes expects him to be healthy for the critical trip to Stoke City on Wednesday, and will undoubtedly hope that he can continue to build his team around Hayden for the remainder of the season.
Leave a Reply