This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Comment’ series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand…

Reading have had a very inconsistent season of late, and haven't quite performed as well as they'd like after doing a lot of business in the summer transfer window.

The Royals lost to second-placed Leeds United on Saturday, although it was a very tight game with Pablo Hernandez' strike being the only goal to separate the two sides on the day.

One man who clearly impressed for the Royals was midfielder John Swift. He's been key throughout the campaign, and arguably the club's best player this season.

The 24-year-old has been crucial for Reading, and has been at the heart of everything that has been good about the side. He's been creative, scored goals and assisted them all season.

In 29 appearances so far in the current campaign, Swift has scored five whilst assisting his team-mates on nine occasions. Unfortunately, he couldn't on Saturday, but looked the most likely to unlock things at Elland Road.

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Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa even praised the midfielder after Saturday's game. Bielsa claimed that Swift was key to Reading, and that he was 'a great player' who he 'values' a lot.

Swift has improved upon last season in both his all-round game as well as his statistics and it has helped Reading to be a much better team than they were under Jose Gomes at the start of the campaign.

It's no imperative that the Royals hold onto the midfielder. This is so key, and if they don't then Reading could well find themselves looking for a replacement over the summer months.

It would take a big bid for him to leave the club, although with Bielsa admiring it would not be a surprise to see Leeds make a move for the player especially if they do go on and earn promotion to the Premier League.