Alex McCarthy is convinced he will return to Reading a better goalkeeper after the experience of playing for Leeds and Ipswich on loan this season.

McCarthy, 22 and capped three times by England at U21 level, is no stranger to temporary stints away from the Madejski Stadium, having also been at Woking, Cambridge United, Team Bath, Aldershot, Yeovil and Brentford in the past five years. The Guildford-born keeper's current spell is due to end on April 11th.

He said: “My time at Leeds and Ipswich has helped me, no doubt about that. It is far better to go out and play, rather than sit on the bench, and I will feel the same even if Reading are playing in the Premiership next season. You can train all week but if you are not playing in games it isn’t going to benefit you the same.”

McCarthy, who at 6ft 4ins is comfortably the tallest of Town’s three first team squad keepers, is determined to carry on improving.

He added: “I am still young and on a learning curve. That’s why I am here on loan, to get games under my belt and look to get better with every one I play.

“You are never the finished article and there are areas of my game where I need to keep improving if I am going to become the best keeper I can be.”

Photo: Action Images

rosseden added 08:47 - Mar 10 Sounds to me like he'd stay if they got promoted. Wonder if we'd want him?
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pennblue added 08:56 - Mar 10 You want to forget Reading sonny jim, they are a small club with crap support. They just happen to have a bit of cash at the moment, but you know the library that is the Majeski. Trouble is, you youngsters cannot remember football when clubs that did well were the well supported ones, it will return to that once TV money is gone again and football falls out of fashion, and then your tin pot club that is Reading will be back down in League 2 where they belong.

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pennblue added 08:57 - Mar 10 P.S We don't want you to come and 'learn' here for some League 2 team, either sign up, or feck off back to Reading. Rant over.
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PimsOclock added 09:10 - Mar 10 Sonny Jim??!!!! Insert: Kid's today don't know their born I'm not sure what he has said that got your back up Pennblue or why you have it in for Reading but seems a bit harsh/patronising to me.
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jas0999 added 10:49 - Mar 10 Still don't know why PJ hasn't sorted out the keeper situation. This was a pointless loan.
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Northern_Branch added 11:49 - Mar 10 Ehh Penn Blue , this is guy pulled off some great saves for us on Tues night.
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StowTractorBoy added 12:06 - Mar 10 On the contrary JAS you would be better than ALB
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buryblue77 added 13:26 - Mar 10 I don't like the idea of a loan keeper as number one, it is PJ/SC's fault for not managing to sign a number one keeper on a permanent basis. Something of which I'm confident we'll sort out over the summer. However, he has been quite good over the last couple of games but I don't like the idea of ITFC being a development club for other teams, let alone a team such as Reading!

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buryblue77 added 00:20 - Mar 11 Here's a couple of names I'll throw in to take the number one spot, Tomasz Kuszczak is itching for games at Man Utd and has gone on loan to Watford, good keeper and I would say he would come to us. Next name is Julian Speroni, quality keeper in my opinion, wonder how much it would take to bring him in from Palace?
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07bradleyc added 13:53 - Mar 12 Don't really like him, he doesn't look interested in being at the club. I understand that his parent club is Reading so he wouldn't be as passionate for the Town anyway, but even Stockdale showed some passion and he was on loan. Like to see Lee-Barrett back in goal and he bleeds blue and wants to play for the town. COYB!
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s6blue added 20:56 - Mar 16 rubbish keeper
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