READING FC interim manager Paul Ince wouldn’t be drawn on questions about his future ahead of a vital weekend of fixtures as Reading continue to battle for Championship survival.
Reports surfaced over the weekend that Ince had been offered the opportunity to continue in the role next season after meeting with the club’s hierarchy.
However the interim boss remained tight-lipped when asked about the topic.
He said: “The challenge has to be keeping this team up and that’s all I need to focus on.
“Once we have achieved that I will tell you a lot more.”
The Royals boss was speaking to the media ahead of an Easter weekend double-header with his side heading to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United on Good Friday, before returning to the Select Car Leasing Stadium to play Swansea City on Monday.
Following a 2-1 defeat against Cardiff City on Saturday, Reading are eight points above the relegation zone having played one more game than Barnsley.
Ince has called on his players to be brave ahead of the weekend.
He said: “We played very well in the first half (against Cardiff) but should have been two or three up. We’ve got to learn not to drop deep.
“When we do take the lead we can’t drop deep, we’ve got to stay in lines, and we didn’t.
“Subconsciously you don’t realise you’re doing it, it’s hard not to look at Barnsley when they went 1-0 up, it’s a thing that players do.
“You’re going to be nervous, you can sense it, and that’s why you’ve got to be brave.
“As a manager you’re trying to get them up but for some reason they can’t get up.”
The Royals have suffered a number of injuries throughout the season and that trend looks set to continue for the remainder of the campaign.
Top goalscorer John Swift picked up a calf injury on Saturday and is touch and go ahead of the weekend but could feature.
Ince also confirmed Reading will be without Alen Halilovic for this weekend and Scott Dann is sidelined for the remainder of the season.
On a positive note, Yakou Meite is set to return sooner than expected and is back training with the first team with Ince set to make a decision on him “tomorrow” ahead of the weekend’s games.
Sheffield United currently sit sixth in the Championship and are unbeaten in their last ten matches on home turf, a run stretching back to October.
Ince is expecting a tough game and isn’t surprised by the Blades’ performances given the quality of their squad.
“This is a team that have come down from the Premier League and still have most of their players, so you’d expect them to be up there.
“They’ve done well and the Sheffield crowd are fantastic and give their side a good lift.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game, but it was a tough game at Bournemouth and people didn’t fancy us to get anything, so we’ll go there and put on a show, do what we’ve got to do.
“They’ve got pressure to get into the top six and we’ve got pressure to stay up, so it should be a good game.”
