Doobs Out For a Month

Reading defender Michael Duberry will be sidelined for a month following an injury sustained in the 5-1 home demolition of Luton.

Doobs, who was returing to the first team after a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, hobbled off after just 20 minutes on Tuesday night after hearing a ‘pop’ in his calf.

Reading boss Steve Coppell understands that Duberry will be out for up to four weeks.

He said, ‘I won’t imagine we’ll see him for three or four weeks.

‘It’s massively frustrating for him, he’s a really good pro and he looks after himself.’

‘He said it just popped, and when you get that kind of popping feeling in a muscle you know it’s fairly significant.’

Doobs absence will be a blow for the Royals who shipped for goals at Charlton in their last league game, however Steve Coppell will be boosted by the return of Andre Bikey and the emergence of young centre-back Alex Pearce.

Pearce has been touted as a future Reading captain by Assistant Manager Kevin Dillon and he was a commanding presence against Luton, even getting himself on the scoresheet.