Stam Confirms Ilori Injury Blow

It's not exactly been a dream start for Tiago Ilori's Reading career. First the defender had to deal with unspecified hold ups for the deal to be completed and now Royals boss Jaap Stam has confirmed the former Liverpool man will be out for four to six weeks with ligament damage picked up during the 1-0 win over Fulham on Tuesday.

The Wokingham Paper's Tom Crocker originally reported the story.

So not great news, and with Joey van den Berg leaving today's win over Cardiff with a hamstring injury, things are once again looking a bit thin at the back. Tyler Blackett and Jordan Obita have also picked up niggles but both were fit enough to come off the bench during today's 2-1 win.

If it is six weeks on the sidelines, Ilori could miss up to nine Championship games, with a return likely around the trip to Preston on March 11th. It's a real blow for Stam who likely spent a large chunk of his January transfer budget on bringing the defender in from Liverpool for around £2-£3.5m. Throw in the lost time getting to know his team mates and learning the Reading style, and it's now looking like Ilori will be one to look out for next season, rather than a man to make a big impact in this campaign.

The injuries to Joey and Tiago might just open the door for Rob Dickie, as Jake Cooper is out on-loan at Millwall.

We'll keep you updated on any further developments as they happen.