Reading suffered a 3-0 defeat on Tuesday night at the Madejski Stadium as Brentford continued their promotion challenge in fine style.

The Royals are looking on course for a mid-table finish this season after what has been an up and down year and the summer window could be a crucial one as Mark Bowen looks to make an impression on the squad.

Who he goes for remains to be seen, but one man getting linked is free agent Duncan Watmore with Jonny Fordham suggesting on Twitter that the Royals are taking a look at the winger:

The Verdict

Watmore was once a Premier League player with Sunderland but injuries have severely hampered his career in recent years and the Black Cats and the player parted ways this summer.

He's a player with talent but those fitness issues will need to be assessed by Reading, or any other side, before taking him on.

On a free, he might be worth a punt but his fitness record is not good and you'd think he'll have to go through some vigorous testing before earning a deal somewhere.

If he can stay fit, though, he could still prove a good player at this level and, in that sense, you can see why Reading are thinking of rolling the dice.