His QPR boss reckoned Aaron Hughes would ‘walk’ the Championship when he arrived in January – but the former Fulham defender is going to have to sprint to keep his place.

Dropped after letting Charlton’s Johnnie Jackson get the better of him in the final minute at Charlton last month that cost Hoops a point – the Northern Ireland international lost out to Nedum Onuoha.

Hughes was recalled on Saturday for the 3-0 win over Yeovil, but only because Benoit Assou-Ekotto was injured necessitating a shuffle at the back.

Harry Redknapp insisted the Charlton gaffe had nothing to do with Hughes’s previous place on the bench, but more to do with Onuoha’s decent run since he broke back into the team.

“Aaron will play another three or four years,” said the manager. “He did nothing wrong. I didn’t leave him out because of Charlton. It was a fantastic header and I decided to make a change and bring Nedum back in at right-back.

“I’m lucky I’ve got cover and Aaron was an important signing for us. He’s a great trainer and he can also play centre half."