Reading manager Paul Ince has revealed loanee Tyrese Fornah could be out of action for two or three weeks after sustaining a knee injury in training on Monday, speaking to the Reading Chronicle in his post-match press conference yesterday.

These comments put a dampener on what was a successful night for the Royals, with Andy Carroll and Tom Ince's goals helping the Berkshire side to claim a 2-1 victory over Swansea City.

Although he wasn't in the starting lineup against Birmingham City and didn't even manage to get on the pitch at St Andrew's, his absence from the matchday squad yesterday evening was still a notable one with the Nottingham Forest man proving his worth at the Select Car Leasing Stadium this term.

Recording one goal and one assist in 20 league appearances for the Royals during the 2022/23 campaign, he has had more of an impact than those numbers suggest with the 23-year-old making a positive impression in Berkshire.

Thankfully for last night's hosts, others were able to step in with Mamadou Loum and Jeff Hendrick starting and Tom McIntyre also coming into midfield at one point.

And the trio look set to be key figures once again in the Royals' upcoming games with Fornah potentially out of action for a couple of weeks.

The Verdict:

The Forest loan man has been unlucky not to be even more involved than he has been this season - because he has been better than both Loum and Hendrick so far this season.

Although Loum has made some valuable contributions, scoring against Bristol City and setting up Ince's goal last night, some of his passing has been extremely questionable since his arrival.

It's a shame - because the Senegal international can be a real asset when on top form - but he didn't perform well last night despite grabbing an assist and threading a ball through to Ince for a disallowed goal.

Hendrick, meanwhile, has just been anonymous for the most part. The Irishman hasn't been awful - but he hasn't managed to make an impact in too many games this season and that's disappointing considering his experience.

Fornah didn't enjoy the best start to life at his current loan club with the 23-year-old failing to prevent a 1-0 loss against Blackpool in July and performing poorly in that game - but he adapted reasonably quickly to the demands of the Championship after that.