It's fair to say that there were high hopes for Tomas Esteves when he first signed for Championship side Reading on a season-long loan from FC Porto. 

Esteves had previously made three appearances for Porto's first-team, and there was some surprise to see a club in the second-tier of English football strike a deal to land his signature on a temporary basis.

Esteves had previously been linked with a move to the likes of Manchester City, but made the move to the Madejski Stadium in search of regular game time, with first-team opportunities with Porto likely to be limited.

We take a look at Esteves' time with Reading so far, as they look to retain top-spot in the Championship.

How's it gone so far? 

Esteves made his Reading debut as a second-half substitute against Wycombe Wanderers, in a match that the Royals won 1-0 at the Madejski Stadium.

The 18-year-old then started against Rotherham United and Blackburn Rovers, as Reading maintained their unbeaten start to this year's campaign (at the time).

He also started in their most recent three matches, but tasted defeat in all of those. Esteves has been substituted in Reading's last two matches, and he'll be eager to keep his place in the starting XI for as long as possible, as he looks to make a good impression on parent club FC Porto.

What issues does he face? 

The main issue that Esteves now faces as Reading head towards the festive period is competition for his starting spot in the Reading squad.

The full-back is now joined by Andy Yiadom in competing for a starting spot in Veljko Paunovic's squad.

Yiadom has been Reading's first-choice right-back in recent seasons, and you'd imagine that he'll fancy his chances of keeping Esteves out of the side.

Esteves was deployed as a winger in a more advanced position in their recent match against Stoke City, and it'll be interesting to see whether he retains his spot in the side when they return to action after the international break.

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What's next? 

Reading have been in a poor run of form of late, with three defeats in a row meaning that the promotion-chasing sides around them have closed the gap on the league-leaders.

Esteves will be hoping that he can put in strong performances heading towards the festive period, and if he can do that, then he could well find himself starting regularly for the Royals.

It's a tough test ahead for the Berkshire-based side though, as they take on AFC Bournemouth in their next match.