Charlie Austin scores twice for QPR, and Hasselbaink says ‘I don’t want him to leave’

Charlie Austin, one of the Premier League's top scorers last season, is still toiling, still scoring in the Championship after QPR held onto the striker during the summer window.

QPR's Charlie Austin takes a shot during his team's Championship match against Burnley on Saturday. Charlie Crowhurst / Getty Images / December 12, 2015

Queens Park Rangers manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink insisted the club have no desire to sell Charlie Austin after the forward scored twice to rescue a 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at Loftus Road.

Dale Stephens’s overhead kick and Rajiv van La Parra’s long-range strike put Brighton 2-0 up early in the second half.

But Austin, back in the starting line-up following a calf problem, pulled a goal back and the visitors were reduced to 10 men on 84 minutes when Lewis Dunk was shown a second yellow card following a challenge on Sandro, before Alejandro Faurlin’s corner three minutes later was headed in for the equaliser.

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It took Austin’s tally for the season to 10 and is bound to increase speculation that QPR might sell during the January transfer window rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next summer, when his contract is due to expire.

“In football there are no guarantees and everybody wants to make a profit,” Hasselbaink said.

“At the end of the day it’s a business. But do we want to sell him? No.

“It’s up to the owners and as a manager I can only advise and can only say ‘No, I don’t want him to leave – I need him’ and I think they would respect that.

“I’m very happy with his goals but he’s done so much more than that with his work off the ball.

“But it’s not just about him. It’s about the team and he doesn’t score if the ball doesn’t come in and if other players are not prepared to sweat.”

Hasselbaink felt his side created enough chances to have won the game and that Van La Parra fouled Sandro in the build-up to Brighton’s second goal.

The Dutchman said: “I think it was a foul. It’s a push in the back and when you get a push you can’t jump.

“The referee should have seen that and he didn’t, and for the second goal we were still thinking about that.

“But we showed enormous character to come back and I think we deserved all three points.

“There was only one team in it in the first half and apart from 10 or 15 minutes in the second half I’m very happy with the performance.”

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