Paul Ince makes Andy Rinomhota admission as former Reading FC man returns to Royals with Cardiff

Paul Ince says former Reading FC star Andy Rinomhota wanted to stay at the club this summer.

The midfielder ended up leaving Royals at the end of his contract and moving to fellow Championship club Cardiff City.

The 25-year-old, who made 139 appearances for Reading in total, was one of several big-name departures from the club at the end of last season which included fellow midfielders John Swift and Josh Laurent to West Brom and Stoke respectively.

Ince had hoped to retain the services of Rinomhota but owing to the need to cut costs and reduce the wage bill, had to concede defeat in retaining the player.

It is set to be a swift return to Berkshire for Rinomhota as his Cardiff side travel down the M4 to take on Royals at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the fixture, Ince said: "It'll be great to see Andy. He was a fantastic kid in the short time I was here with him. He was outstanding. He got injured towards the end but he's a wonderful lad and a top, top player.

"It's a shame we had to lose both him and Josh Laurent at the same time. It was a big blow but he's made his decision now. He's gone to Cardiff and I'm sure he will be a success.

"Ultimately, he wanted to stay. When I spoke to him, he said how he loved his time here and wanted to continue playing for me, but like with everything, if you can't compete with the financial package other teams are offering then it's hard to keep these types of players.

"As much as it shouldn't be about money, football is a short career and if clubs offer more than us, then players have a decision to make. I don't think Andy was a money person, he always put his heart and soul into each game but we lost him, couldn't afford to keep him and we have got to