Reading are struggling with a monumental list of injuries at the moment, which poses the biggest challenge of Jaap Stam's managerial career so far.

The Royals started the season with just 14 senior players fit and threw out a beleaguered side to face QPR, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, failed to rise to the challenge and fell to a 2-0 defeat.

New signing John Dadi Bodvarsson came off injured in that game, whilst Tiago Ilori was sent off, meaning Reading now have 12 injured or suspended players, leaving the squad down to bare bones.

Jaap Stam couldn't even name seven substitutes on the weekend, a sign of how tough he is finding this injury crisis, and this is his first great test as a manager.

It's fair to say the ex-Manchester United defender enjoyed a smooth start to his managerial career last season.

Though it will have been a challenge to get his squad playing the football he wants, it was plain sailing on his way to the play-off final, and the Royals experienced very few obstacles.

He now faces a substantial obstacle right at the start of his second season in management, however, and with the forces of Fulham and Aston Villa next up in the league for the Royals, we are about to see quite how good a manager Jaap Stam is.

To do what he did with Reading last season was an incredible feat, but if he can still manage to keep the Royals at the right end of the table, despite the woes he faces, it will mean he's at a level well above the Championship.

Reading fans... Agree with this? Let us know in the comments below!