'A little behind': Reading boss makes intriguing admission over £1m Portsmouth loanee
Josh Knight has yet to feature for Reading since his loan switch in August.
Leam Richardson has explained Pompey loanee Josh Knight’s surprise absence for Reading following his Reading switch last month.
After falling behind Regan Poole, Benjy Arthur, Conor Shaughnessy and Madiodio Dia in John Mousinho’s pecking order, the head coach allowed the centre-back to depart in order to gain regular match minutes.
However, Knight has failed to appear in the Royals’ previous two matches since his move, which has seen Richardson’s side claim 5-0 and 3-1 triumphs over Mansfield and Blackpool respectively.
In fact, the former Peterborough United man wasn’t included in the 20-man squad for either contest, with Reading supporters questioning his absence.
But the Royals boss has allayed any injury fears regarding the summer arrival, insisting the club are managing his minutes as he continues to build up his fitness.
Knight featured five times for Pompey in pre-season, along with a brief cameo from the bench against Lincoln City in the Championship in August.
Reading boss explains surprise absence of Pompey loanee
Richardson, however, has stated the centre-back is currently ‘behind’ with his fitness, which will likely see him sit out the upcoming games against Cambridge United (League One) and Brentford (Carabao Cup) in the coming week.
The head coach said: ‘Josh is a little bit behind (because of) fitness with pre-season and his minutes in the game as well.
‘He’s probably going to be 10 days or so but it might even be a little bit quicker. It’s no good bringing these lads in and losing them straight away.
‘We’ve got to learn from last year and the medical team are taking care of that straight away. They know what physical numbers he needs to hit and get that robustness in.
‘Once Josh is in (the team), he’ll be in.’
Why Pompey sanctioned Josh Knight exit
Knight arrived at Fratton Park in September 2025, penning a three-year deal following a £1m switch from Hannover 96.
Although Poole and Shaughnessy started the campaign as Mousinho’s main centre-back partnership, the 28-year-old was handed his bow later that month following Shaughnessy’s injury blow.
The Leicester City youth product went on to amass 14 appearances for the Blues before sustaining a back fracture in December 2025.
The setback sidelined Knight for the remainder of the season before returning to action in pre-season.
But following the addition of Benjy Arthur on a season-long loan from Brentford during the summer, Pompey sanctioned the temporary departures of Knight and Matthews before the window’s closure, with the pair joining Reading and Bradford City respectively.
This leaves Poole, Shaughnessy, Arthur and Dia as Mousinho’s centre-back options for the first half of the campaign.
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