READING FC winger Callum Harriott has been dealt yet another injury blow and has been ruled out of the game for 'a long time', Royals' boss Jaap Stam revealed today.

Harriott was first sidelined when he suffered a hamstring injury during the abandonned clash against Championship rivals Fulham FC back in January.

He was initially ruled out for several months but aimed to return to the first-team fold before the end of the Championship season next month.

The pacey winger posted a series of pictures on social media recently, suggesting he was closing in on full fitness.

However, he was forced to undergo a second operation on his hamstring last week and will be out of contention for the rest of the campaign.

Stam explained: “Callum had an operation a while back. The injury was quite close to the tendon which makes it difficult because there is not a lot of blood in that area.

“It was going well, he had joined in training sessions then did the same injury again, so we made the decision that it would be better for another operation this week. It went well but he's going to be out again for a long time.

“Hopefully after that it will be done and he can focus on playing.

“He'll probably still be in recovery during pre-season but after that it should be okay.”

Harriott joined the Royals from Charlton Athletic FC in the summer transfer window last year.

The 23-year-old has so far made 16 appearances for Reading in all competitions, scoring three goals.