READING defender Liam Moore says that it is ‘an absolute honour’ to be chosen as the new club captain ahead of the 2019/20 Championship season.
Moore joined the Royals from Leicester City in August 2016 and has since become a vitally important player during his time at the club.
The defender has already made 137 appearances in all competitions during his three seasons where he has remained an ever present figure in the team despite playing under three different managers already.
He played every single Championship game in the 2017/18 season and made 38 league appearances last season as the Royals flirted with relegation before eventually securing their league status on the penultimate game of the season.
He has been no stranger to the captain’s role already as former club captain Paul McShane’s ongoing battles with injury last season saw Moore named as skipper on several occasions.
“I’m extremely proud to be the new captain. it’s a role I’ve wanted and I’ve not shied away from that and when I got told last week it was a massive relief,” Moore told Reading FC’s official website.
“It’s a great sense of pride not only for me but my family, they’ve known for a long time that it’s a role I wanted to fill and it’s another dream of mine ticked off.
“As a captain you’ve got to lead the team and I believe I can do that. I’ve got that never say die attitude which I want to install into the younger lads coming in to the team.
“I think I’m reliable, I want my teammates to know they can look to the side and always know I am there. I want to lead the team to the highest possible finish.
“We’ve got two weeks together in Spain, it’s something you dream of as a young lad coming up and they’ve got the perfect opportunity to show themselves and they’ve got to take it with both hands.
“I’m expecting pre-season to be tough, we can get some really good training in and gym work and get some game time. That’s the main thing, we need to be match fit and there’s no excuse for that with the amount of games that we’ve got.
“You want to train for the first team when you’re a young lad, but to have the opportunity for two weeks is the perfect opportunity. Being away helps to form some new friendships, some new bonds and hopefully we’ll come back even more united and ready to crack on.”
Moore also showed his gratitude with a post on Instagram: “It is an absolute honour that I have been chosen to be club captain of Reading, not only that but also to kick the very first ball on the brand new and incredible training ground. Growing up I always dreamt of being a club captain and I can’t express my gratitude to Mr Dai and the manager for choosing me to lead the club with this role. It is one I do not underestimate and I promise to demand 100% from myself and teammates at all times as we represent this great football club.”
