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Harvey Knibbs' injury could hand Charlie Savage a golden opportunity to become a regular starter for the Royals.

Reading have had to adapt during the early stages of the season, with Femi Azeez, Harvey Knibbs, and Andy Yiadom all spending time out of action.

Azeez is back for the Royals now, which will be a big relief for the Berkshire outfit, but he has been linked with a move away in recent times and it will be interesting to see what happens in terms of his future.

Stoke City are said to have recently had a bid rejected for him and if he goes, signings will be required in the wing area, with Mamadi Camara and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan the only other two senior wing options at this point with Dom Ballard and Paul Mukairu's loan spells coming to an end.

Even without Azeez potentially departing, they will probably need a wide player to come in, even though Camara has done a respectable job in recent games.

The Berkshire side haven't felt Yiadom's absence too much either, with Kelvin Abrefa returning to action and Michael Craig doing an excellent job there in the past couple of games, despite usually operating in a central midfield role.

Harvey Knibbs' injury could give Charlie Savage the opportunity to shine at Reading FC

The Royals have been very good in a 4-1-4-1 system under Ruben Selles - and are continuing to shine in that formation.

With Lewis Wing sitting as the deepest player in midfield, that has given the likes of Harvey Knibbs and Ben Elliott the chance to make a real impact in the final third.

This is a dream midfield on paper, with Wing a real game-changer at this level, Elliott improving game-by-game and Knibbs registering plenty of goals and assists last term.

Unfortunately, the ex-Cambridge United man picked up an injury in training just before the Wigan Athletic game last weekend.

He looks set to be out of action for three to four weeks, which is a blow considering how important he was last term.

With the Berkshire side also unable to make any signings until their ownership situation is resolved, this has given Charlie Savage the opportunity to start.

He has taken his opportunity with both hands thus far.

The midfielder has already managed to get himself on the scoresheet twice this term, scoring a screamer against Colchester United in the Carabao Cup and also finding himself in the right place at the right time to grab an early goal against Wigan.

Putting in a solid performance against the latter, he will be looking to build on that in the coming weeks and considering how effective Knibbs and Elliott could be as a partnership, he simply must continue impressing in the coming weeks.

If he can, that could give him the chance to stay in the starting lineup.

Charlie Savage will be desperate to prove his worth at Reading FC

Savage, who appeared at a senior level for Manchester United before his switch to the Select Car Leasing Stadium, would have been hoping to start regularly during his stay in Berkshire.

His time at Old Trafford and his ability should have given him the tools needed to start, but like many other players, he struggled in a 4-2-2-2 system during the early stages of last season.

And he hasn't always had the opportunity to start for the Royals, spending a chunk of last season on the bench, something that may have led him to regret his choice to move away from the Red Devils.

At Old Trafford, he could have spent an extra year in the youth team before potentially moving on to another club, and it would have been easy for him to do that.

However, Savage decided to move out of his comfort zone and play more first-team football.

His first season at the SCL Stadium didn't exactly go to plan, but he still enjoyed some bright moments and the 2024/25 campaign could be his season.

However, if he's to establish himself as a real asset this term, he needs to start regularly and that probably means keeping one of Elliott or Knibbs out of the first 11, something that won't be an easy task.

The Wales international must take this golden opportunity with both hands.