Adkins delighted with ‘quick’ new signing

Nigel Adkins is pleased to get Chris Baird on board, especially because of a recent injury to midfielder Jem Karacan.

The Royals boss has already said he plans the use the versatile player in a central midfield position, a place he is capable of playing, despite primarily being a central defender. The 31-year old was signed on a free transfer yesterday afternoon and will go straight into today’s squad to face Derby.

Speaking to the Official Reading FC website, Adkins said: ‘With losing Jem the other night, the club has acted very quickly which is great. Because of that we’ve got another experienced player into the fold. We have several players nursing injuries from the other night.’

‘It’s a quick turnaround with the games being Sunday, Wednesday and now Saturday. It’s very good to have him here, he’s an international player and has lots of good experience. As we’ve highlighted, Chris is an experienced Premier League player and we’re very pleased to have him here.’