Queens Park Rangers manager Ian Holloway was full of praise for duo Idrissa Sylla and Yeni N’Gbakoto following victory over Barnsley on Tuesday night.

The Hoops boss admitted it has been difficult for new players to adapt to life in the Championship, but said that if one of the best players in the world in Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic had found it tough, there should be no question over why any of his new players would struggle too.

Holloway said: “I’ve always been happy with them, they’ve had to adapt to living in this country. One had to adapt to losing his father and not getting back to see him and the other has had to change his game from coming from Anderlecht, who are a Champions League team.

“For me, it’s a very big ask to replace the players we lost and replace them with six foreign lads, who have all got to acclimatise to this country and playing for this club.

Yeni Ngbakoto

“I’m delighted with the attitude of everybody and on the training ground the work rate of everybody is exactly what I would demand of them.

“It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy with them, one was slightly overweight and one didn’t run as hard as everybody else, they’ve got to learn that.

“In England, even Mr Wonderful Manchester United centre-forward actually said it’s the toughest league in the world and it’s even tougher in the Championship in my opinion with all the running you’ve got to do, so if it’s hard for Mr Ibrahimovic at 35, how hard is it for a young French centre-forward who thinks he can stroll around and just head it in?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

“The tempo is nothing like where he was, this is frantic, but he managed to do that and N’Gbakoto’s volley at the weekend was as good as anything I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”

It was not just the two summer signings who Holloway singled out for praise, with the manager calling the first half display against Barnsley the “best we’ve played”.

He added: “I’m very pleased I can make five changes and my team play as well as that, it’s a good feeling in that dressing room.

“The first half was probably the best we’ve played, that’s with five changes, it just proves that whatever the group are doing they’re doing it well and they’ve accepted my decisions fantastically well.

“We’re starting to feel like we’re not a bad unit.

“I’m going to have a right headache deciding who I take on that bus to Leeds on Friday and unfortunately I can’t take everybody.”