Paul Ince reveals which Reading player could fire his side to safety

Sitting five points above the Championship drop-zone, with Barnsley and Derby County looking to capitalise on any slip-ups, Reading are looking to secure another year of second-tier football in what remains of this season.

The Royals, who were dealt a six-point deduction at the start of the campaign, have picked up a mere seven points from their last 12 games, showing worrying form as the season nears its concluding stages. 

Despite their struggles this season, the Berkshire club still possess quality in abundance, with the likes of John Swift, Andy Rinomhota and Lucas Joao set to play a big part in their battle for survival. 

Speaking to Berkshire Live about Joao and the impact he is set to have between now and the end of the season, Paul Ince said: “He’s a goalscorer.

“He’s very laid back but I like him. In any team, if you want to be successful, you need a goalscorer.

“You look at what Aleksander Mitrovic is doing at Fulham, Dominic Solanke at Bournemouth, they’re goalscorers. Unfortunately, Lucas is scoring goals at the wrong end of the table but you need him to keep it up.

“He’s going to be the one to keep us up. You’d like to see Thomas (Ince) get some more goals, Junior (Hoilett) get some more goals – and I’m sure they will – but he’s your main part of the team.

“He is integral to what we do. We’re not going to ask him to run across the field but he’s trying to work harder.

“You can see in the past couple of games he’s trying to get back into shape at times but primarily, he is the one who will put the ball in the back of the net.

“He had a lovely chance on Saturday against Millwall which went just over the bar. But he knows where the net is and where he needs to be.”

The verdict 

Having Joao back and fully fit