Hunt Off

Stephen Hunt has been one of a host of players to leave relegated Reading this summer, and now the Irishman has expressed his desire to return to the Premier League, feulling speculation that he is set to join Sunderland.

Hunt told the Reading Chronicle, ‘I work on the basis that if anything is going to happen, I will be informed. All the other stuff you read in the papers is rubbish. If nothing does happen then I will make sure I am ready to play for Reading.

‘But every Reading player wants to play in the Premier League, and that`s the truth. Don`t get me wrong, players are happy here, the facilities are great and we`ve got an excellent training ground.

‘But if anybody said they do not want to play in the Premier League they`d be lying.

‘Personally, I love it around here. It`s a great area to live in, we`ve got a terrific manager in Steve Coppell and the fans are superb.

‘It`s not that people aren`t happy but everyone wants to play at the highest level.

‘It`s a short career and I think fans would appreciate it more if players were more honest about these things. Supporters aren`t stupid and it makes more sense if they know what`s going on.

‘But I don`t want to generalise here. Some players might be happy to stay at Reading, especially those just starting their careers or those coming to an end.

‘I suppose only time will tell who stays and goes but I`m sure we will know more by the end of the month.

‘Nearly every player has been linked with some other club and there is bound to be interest because I don`t think we should have been relegated. But it happened and we`ve got to deal with the consequences of that.’

Royals fans will not be devastated by the loss of Hunt, many believing him to be highly overrated.

With speculation surrounding many of Reading’s stars, fans will be hoping that deals can be done asap so the club can begin building a side capable of mounting a serious title challenge.