Reading FC suffer double injury setback

Paul Ince will not be able to call upon Yakou Meite and Andy Rinomhota for the Royals’ relegation fight for the rest of the season, with both players ruled out through injury.

Midfielder Rinomhota, who has played in 20 Championship games for Reading this season, lasted just 32 minutes in the 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers before the international break before being withdrawn.

That was down to a knee injury for the 24-year-old which has ended up being a season-ender, with Rinomhota has ‘ripped a muscle off the bone’ according to Ince, causing him to miss seven to eight weeks of action.

And Meite has had no luck either after suffering another setback following missing most of the current campaign after recovering from ACL surgery.

The Ivorian came on as a late substitute against Rovers but ended the match with a blow to the ankle, and that’s one that will keep him out for between four and six weeks according to Ince, meaning that he too will likely not be back before the final match of the Championship season on May 7.

The Verdict

Reading need all the bodies they can available for their final eight matches of the season, so this will be seen as a big blow.

There are players who can cover both Rinomhota and Meite’s absences, especially when you consider that the latter wasn’t starting matches, but they are strong individuals who have quality.

Ince still has key players to call upon, however any more injuries and they will face massive issues with the amount of fixtures the Royals have to play in the space of a month.

The likes of Danny Drinkwater, Tom Ince and others will now have to step up to assist John Swift and Lucas Joao in keeping Reading above the drop zone or else it will be third tier football next season.

Sour