Gillingham have bolstered their defensive options with a loan signing from QPR.

Conor Masterson, 23, has joined from the Championship side on a deal that runs until April 30.

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Masterson is the second QPR player to join on loan under caretaker boss Steve Lovell after striker Charlie Kelman agreed to a Priestfield return.

The new arrival is a former Republic of Ireland youth international. He moved to England when he joined Liverpool as a teenager.

He captained the under-18s at Liverpool and was named on the bench for the senior side on a handful of occasions before being released in 2019.

QPR signed the centre-half and he’s played 16 games for them while also having loan spells with Swindon Town and Cambridge United.

He made 21 appearances for Cambridge in the first half of this season and played against the Gills when the two sides met in September. Gillingham won 2-0, just one of three league victories this season.

His last competitive appearance was on December 4, in a 2-1 FA Cup victory for Cambridge against Exeter City.

Masterson is Gillingham's sixth loan recruit and they can only name five in a matchday squad, although Norwich midfielder Dan Adshead is still injured and out for several more weeks.