Reading boss Paul Ince has confirmed he wants both Andy Carroll and Amadou Mbengue to remain at the Select Car Leasing Stadium beyond January, speaking to journalist Ji-Min Lee.

Former England international Carroll linked up with the Royals for his second spell at the club in mid-September, putting pen to paper on a contract that will see him remain in Berkshire until mid-January.

He signed similar terms last year but decided to move on to West Bromwich Albion during the winter window, leaving many Reading supporters feeling nervous about the possibility of him moving on once more when his current contract comes to an end after seeing him make a decent impact, scoring two goals in 11 league appearances so far this season.

 

 

20-year-old Mbengue signed for the club just a couple of days before Carroll joined - and has been even more impressive than the 33-year-old with the defender performing extremely well at centre-back.

With Tom McIntyre, Naby Sarr, Sam Hutchinson, Scott Dann and Liam Moore all being out for the Royals during the latter stages of their last set of fixtures, the ex-Metz man has been an integral part of Ince's recent plans but his deal also expires in January.

And after seeing both perform, the Royals' boss is keen to see both players extend their stay.

He said: "We know we’ve got the situation with Andy Carroll and Amadou.

"We’ve got to prepare for the fact that if they’re not here in January, and believe me I hope they are, we’ve got to make sure we’ve got some replacements."

The Verdict:

Carroll is someone the Royals should look to retain because they have benefitted from having four forward options, something that has given Ince the ability to rotate and make tweaks.

With Femi Azeez also on his way back, that should give them five options and that should be enough, though Azeez's injury record does need to be taken into account because he can't seem to stay fit.

Mbengue should also be signed up to a new deal if the Royals can afford it - because the 20-year-old has been exceptional since his inclusion in the starting lineup and a real life-saver considering the Berkshire outfit's injury problems in defence.

If the club are able to offer him a long-term deal, they should do so because they could generate a sizeable fee for him in the future and that will only help them in their quest to abide by financial rules in the future.

The young defender is only likely to get better - and won't just go on to help the club financially if he signs a new deal but will also be a big contributor on the pitch.