Warburton warns Scotland after Dykes plays three games in week

Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton has complained after Lyndon Dykes started all three of Scotland’s games last week and warned that the situation “works both ways”.

The QPR striker has only recently declared his international allegiance to Scotland over Australia, where he was born. Dykes, who made his name at Livingston before moving to the Championship this summer, has impressed in recent internationals and scored twice in five games.

The 25-year-old started the play-off semi-final against Israel last week and the Nations League matches against Slovakia on Sunday and Czech Republic on Wednesday.

Former Rangers boss Warburton felt that was too much in one short international break.

“I’m sure the game’s governing bodies will do what’s right in terms of the pandemic and if there’s any increased threat levels then they’ll act accordingly,” he said.

“But three games in such a short period of time kills the clubs. It really does. Lydon’s gone away and started three games in six days.

“It poses no end of problems. You get a player back on the Thursday morning after that kind of physical outlay and don’t get him back [training] until Friday morning when you play Bournemouth away on the Saturday.

“I’m saying this very respectfully but it’s a big adventure for him. He’s away to international football playing with very talented players and he’s took to it like a duck to water. What you’ve seen in the last few games is what we see here at QPR. He’s an enthusiastic, very talented boy with loads of development still in him.”

Warburton didn’t reveal if he had spoken to Scotland manager Steve Clarke about Dykes but said that in a busy schedule some “common sense” had to be used to ensure that club and country got the best from players.

“It will work both ways,” he said. “I’ve got to be honest, to see one of our players go away and start every game when you’ve got the likes of Lawrence Shankland, Callum Paterson, Oli McBurnie and Oli Burke etc, it was difficult for us.

“I’m delighted for Lyndon and how well he’s doing, and for Steve Clarke and the team but we’ve got to be very careful. We’re getting back a player who has played all these minutes and we now go into seven games in 21 day then there’s another international break. Then we have nine games in 28 days.

“So it can work both ways. This time we are receiving back a highly fatigued player. If he plays every game in the next three weeks then where does that leave him for the next international games.

“This demands communication and hopefully common sense can prevail. You guys have to win games of football but so do we.

“I think he can have a major impact and give you that presence that you need but I’m also very wary that he’s played five times for you and I’m hearing people say he’ll be the number nine for years to come.

“I don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on him. He’s done very, very well and clearly has great pride in playing for Scotland.”