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Jeff Hendrick may have scored some excellent goals for the Royals, but he didn't enjoy a successful loan spell in Berkshire.

Reading were restricted during the 2022 summer window, with the club only able to recruit free agents and loanees.

With this in mind, the Royals needed to use the free agent and loan markets to secure their additions, as they looked to strengthen as much as possible ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Having narrowly avoided relegation at the end of the 2021/22 season, Paul Ince, Mark Bowen and other key figures had a job on their hands as they looked to strengthen their team sufficiently, but they managed to make some decent additions.

Tom Ince joined permanently and proved to be a decent addition - and fan favourite Shane Long also made the move to Berkshire. Sam Hutchinson and Naby Sarr looked to be good additions as well - and the likes of Amadou Mbengue and Andy Carroll joined in September and made an impact.

In terms of their loan signings, Joe Lumley, Tyrese Fornah, Jeff Hendrick, Mamadou Loum and Baba Rahman all joined during that summer.

On paper, Hendrick looked to be a good loan signing from Newcastle United, even though he didn't do too well at Queens Park Rangers during the second half of the 2021/22 season.

The Irishman should have been able to make a good impact for Mark Warburton's side, as they looked to seal a top-six finish, but he didn't have the desired effect.

Jeff Hendrick's good moments at Reading FC

Then-manager Ince (pictured above) placed his faith in Hendrick for much of the 2022/23 season, with the midfielder playing regularly for the Royals.

And there's no doubt that the player enjoyed some very bright moments during his time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, scoring a couple of screamers for the Berkshire side.

His goal against Norwich City and brace against QPR helped the Royals to pick up an extra two points, with his first goal against the R's worth watching over and over again.

Also securing a draw against Watford via a magnificent volley, it's clear that he enjoyed some good moments and that's why his loan spell in Berkshire shouldn't be classed as a major disaster.

Hendrick also did well in the build-up to what could have been a crucial away goal at Coventry City - and that shouldn't be forgotten.

Jeff Hendrick may not be fondly remembered by Reading fans

Firstly, it's only right to say that he did well to remain fit for much of the season.

He also seemed to conduct himself very well during his time in Berkshire and, for that alone, he shouldn't be criticised too heavily.

However, some fans described him as a non-existent figure in the middle of the park at times, with the Irishman arguably going missing in some games.

A lot of players struggled to thrive under Ince, but Hendrick was criticised fairly heavily for some of his performances, with the player struggling to impose himself on some matches.

With the experience that he had, the midfielder should have been able to make much more of an impact than he did, especially when the Royals needed him in the fight for survival.

But he was unable to do that - and that's why few supporters called for him to be re-signed following the club's relegation last year.

Unfortunately, he was unable to be a strong enough figure in the middle of the park to win midfield battles and with games often passing him by, it wouldn't have been surprising to have seen him benched if the Royals had more options in the middle of the park. Ince was fairly loyal to him though.

Hendrick struggled to thrive at Sheffield Wednesday last season as well - and he will be hoping that he can enjoy a much better 2024/25 campaign.