Reading face two big home games in the space of four days as they welcome first Middlesbrough and then Nottingham Forest to the Madejski Stadium.

They will look to secure some much-needed wins to climb up the table following their poor start to the season.

Defeat at Bramall Lane last time out leaves Jaap Stam's men just two points above the relegation zone.

To be fair to the Dutch manager, he has had to contend with several injuries and he issued an update on four key players today. “Paul McShane and John Swift are doing well – they came in against Sheffield United and played in the second half from the bench. They're looking good and they're available for the squad,” he told the official site.

However, there was mixed news on striking pair Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Yann Kermogant. “Jon Dadi is still out with an injury and he won't be available - we need to assess him. Yann has been partially back in training. He's doing well. A lot of people are speaking about Yann and how we need him – of course he has been important for us, but we need to be careful with him as well.”

The Verdict

Reading will certainly improve when they get these four players back as they all bring something different to the team.

Yann Kermogant seems the big miss, giving his major influence last year and it's promising for Royals fans that he is seemingly nearing a return.

They face two big games now, against tough opposition, but Reading really need to win and start climbing the table soon if they are to have any chance of replicating what they did last year.

Thoughts, Reading fans? Let us know in the comments below.