The 10 viral images from the weekend đż
Check out the 10 viral images that had the football world buzzing this weekend!
Voting is now open for the 2025/26 Reading Rookie of the Season. The nominees include players who are 22 or younger and have met specific criteria for game appearances.
âReading are much, much better at developing youth nowadaysâ⊠is how I started this article last year. As for now? Not so much.
While itâs been an oft-discussed point that Leam Richardson doesnât really seem to trust youth players (just look at a lack of game time recently for Emmanuel Osho, Luke Howard and others), the size of our Rookie of the Season 2025/26 nominees list makes the issue clear. This has not been a good season for youngsters breaking through into Readingâs first team.
So how does our list work? Well, to come up with it, we use the same criteria each year (updating the first line though, naturally):
The 2022/23 relegation campaign was a particularly dour year for youth development, with only three players making our shortlist (Kelvin Abrefa, winner Nesta Guinness-Walker and Amadou Mbengue). A youthwards shift in 2023/24 yielded a whopping 13-man shortlist (congratulations to Tyler Bindon), which dropped slightly to seven in 2024/25 (congratulations to Jayden Wareham).
As for 2025/26? Weâre down to⊠two players.
Now, obviously the situation at the club is very different now to how it was in the previous two campaigns. Reading had to play youngsters due to an inability to bring in new signings, and thatâs not been the case so much in the post-Dai Yongge era.
However, itâs also fair to say that giving a youth a chance at Reading hasnât been a strong part of this seasonâs rebuild. Yes, some have headed out on loan to the lower leagues and itâs made sense to do so, but such a major drop-off in opportunities in the Royalsâ first team is still disappointing and should be rectified next season.
Without any further ado, here are both of your candidatesâŠ
Appearances: 6
Average rating: 6.3/10
The young Irishman got five starts at left-back in the cup earlier this season: three in the Pizza McPizza Virtuous Vase Shield and two in the League Cup. He did well on those occasions, particularly against West Ham Unitedâs under-21s and MK Dons (both at home), as a well-rounded full-back. His high average rating underlines his consistency in those matches.
Unfortunately, Ryanâs season was again curtailed by serious injury, which has denied him football since December. It was another sad blow for someone whoâs had horrid luck on this front in recent years, and at this point it looks unlikely heâll be retained beyond the summer when his contract expires. Whatever happens though, heâs a bright talent and is one to watch for the future.
Appearances: 8
Average rating: 6.3/10
A January arrival from Accrington Stanley, Wardâs also had bad luck on the fitness front, ruled out for the rest of the season after a cynical opposition challenge at Burton Albion in mid-March. He looked a class act during his eight appearances though, showing real quality at centre-back and left-back.
Had he shown that form across a full season, heâd have been at player of the season level, for me. Maybe thatâs a bit over the top, but either way, Iâm really looking forward to seeing more of him in the first team in 2026/27.
In previous years weâve had such an extensive shortlist that weâve asked you to rank all the nominees. Given that itâs between just the two players this time, weâve stripped it back to a straightforward poll, which you can find in this link right here.
The nominees include youth players who are 22 years old or younger and have made a limited number of appearances for Reading.
Players must be under 22 as of August 1, 2025, have fewer than five starts before the season, and have made at least five starts or ten combined sub appearances this season.
The article suggests that manager Leam Richardson's lack of trust in youth players has contributed to fewer opportunities for young talents.
Fans can participate in the voting process, but specific details on how to vote are not provided in the excerpt.
Check out the 10 viral images that had the football world buzzing this weekend!
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