Reading FC boss confirms Championship interest in top scorer
Harvey Knibbs, a midfielder for Reading, has drawn interest from the Championship during the summer transfer
window, but manager Noel Hunt is adamant about the asking price to acquire him.
The 26-year-old, who scored 16 goals for the Royals last season, has not participated in any preseason games since he
is still recovering from a foot injury he suffered against Bristol Rovers in April.
However, in a relatively lacklustre transfer window thus far, there are concerns that top scorer Knibbs would be the
next to leave after losing Tyler Bindon and Amadou Mbengue.
Hunt stated that Knibbs’ absence was solely due to injury following Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, but
the team is fighting to retain their best player.
“Harvey is recovering from an injury. We’ve obviously been interested in Harv, but we’ll have to wait and see how he
feels. The arrival of a Championship club is sure to draw attention. He plays for us. A bid must be good and
worthwhile if the player scores 16 goals in a season. Harv has been informed that it is reasonable to remove him if a
significant bid is received. He won’t be going otherwise.
“He was only back on the grass the day before yesterday, he had a bone bruising on the foot since Bristol Rovers last
year which he struggled with in the Barnsley game. It hadn’t shifted over the summer, and he had an injection- last
Monday it started to break up and free a little bit. He was on the grass yesterday in the passing drill so he’s two or
three weeks behind everyone else.”
Hunt stated at SCL Stadium, “When he isn’t playing on the pitch, he is so important in the dressing room.” “He had a tackle against Hungerford that ended up being more than a twist so he’s got another couple of days off his feet.”
Fin Burns, who came on loan from Manchester City for the season, was one player who did appear on the day.
The young player was confident when he started the game, but he was replaced by Michael Stickland after he
hobbled off after just 20 minutes.
“He said he felt it in the tackle, a little twinge,” Hunt said, maintaining his optimism that it was merely a precaution.
I always tell people to stay away from preseason if they sense something and are unsure. The most important issue is
that it would be devastating for your base during preseason if he missed a few days rather than a few weeks.
“We’ve put in a lot of effort; on Thursday in Ireland, we spent two hours and fifteen minutes on the grass, and it was
demanding and combative. Getting minutes in the legs during the week and then playing on Saturday is the plan
we’re attempting to follow. I think he’s fine, and I hope he’ll be fine on Monday and Tuesday, but perhaps we
shouldn’t push ourselves too hard on Thursday before our game against the Spurs.”
Reading’s next game is a visit to Slough Town on Tuesday, followed by a preseason friendly against Portsmouth on
Saturday.
Read more news on https://www.sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply