Even though they are in the bottom three in the Championship, there are signs that Reading will have enough to finish above at least three teams.

Jose Gomes was thrown into a very difficult situation for his first job in English football and whilst results have been poor on the whole, one defeat in four shows slow improvement.

As well as that, the Royals look to have had a very good January transfer window and the new boss will hope that the recruits have a big impact on the team.

Many of those have gone straight into the side and Reading now have a decent squad to choose from:

Here we look at the best XI if everyone was fit, and pleasingly for Gomes, many of these were available in the goalless draw on Saturday against Aston Villa.

Firstly, Emi Martinez was a shrewd signing on loan from Arsenal, with the Argentinian a talented stopper and a clear upgrade on what they had.

He will be helped by a very solid defensive pairing in front of him - Miazga and Moore. Conceding goals has been a major problem for the Royals, but those two are excellent defenders at this level.

Either side of those two, Yiadom is a very good attacking option and Obita would provide the same down the left-flank but he has been very unfortunate with injuries.

That's a solid base for the side to build on and 21-year-old Rimonhota and Swift provide a good mix of technical ability and energy that ensure the Royals are competitive.

Additionally, Baker will drop deeper at times to help the side keep the ball and ensure they can build-up play through the middle.

Arguably the weakest area of this side is out wide, with Barrow a frustrating player. He has a lot of talent but doesn't produce regularly enough, whereas Ejaria is someone who has to cut in-field from the flanks.

But, they have the ability to cause problems on their day and can supply to the Royals new forward - Oliviera.

He has shown he is deadly in front of goal at this level before and if he gets the chances then he can be the difference-maker for a side near the bottom.

So, even though they are struggling, if Gomes can get this side performing near their potential then Reading should still be in the Championship next season.