Cousins aiming high

​​​​​​​Ahead of QPR’s Championship opener against Leeds United on Sunday, Jordan Cousins talks to Sky Sports about finding his feet at Loftus Road and making his exit from boyhood club Charlton Athletic…

Jordan Cousins is used to putting in the hard yards. The industrious midfielder had a reputation for being the last man standing in bleep tests at his former club Charlton Athletic, and he was similarly committed on the pitch, where he amassed 136 appearances and won two Player of the Year awards in three seasons following his first-team breakthrough in 2013.

Cousins’ work-rate was one of the attributes that convinced QPR to make their move for him following Charlton’s relegation, and speaking midway through the final double training session of pre-season at their Harlington training ground, the 22-year-old admits he has needed every ounce of stamina in his first three weeks under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

“It has been tough,” he tells Sky Sports with a grin. “It’s a different kind of intensity to what I’m used to at Charlton. It’s hard and it’s a different regime but it’s been good. I feel fit and I feel sharp. The double sessions are hard on the body but we are putting in this last bit of work. We know if we put the work in now, we will reap the rewards in the season.”

The gruelling summer preparations have been building up to Sunday’s Championship opener against Leeds United, and Cousins has been working tirelessly to impress his new manager. “He’s very demanding and I think that’s what I need at this stage of my career,” he says, “someone who can improve me and can get more out of me.”

Getting the best out of young, hungry players like Cousins is Hasselbaink’s remit at QPR this season. The west Londoners have completely changed their approach in …

continue reading in source www.skysports.com