Wanted by Nottingham Forest in 2022, this Reading FC player must force exit in January: View | OneFootball

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Reading boss Ruben Selles hasn't been scared of changing personnel during his time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Although his loyalty to Femi Azeez has annoyed some supporters, he deserves a bit of credit for changing things dramatically following the Royals' 1-0 loss at Port Vale earlier in the season.

He changed the whole back four for the game against Cheltenham Town after that, with Matty Carson replacing Nesta Guinness-Walker, Nelson Abbey coming in for Tom McIntyre, Tyler Bindon replacing Tom Holmes and Andy Yiadom making way for Amadou Mbengue.

There were some other key changes that night too, with Mamadi Camara and Caylan Vickers replacing older heads Azeez and Andy Carroll.

Even though many youngsters had shone in the EFL Cup against Millwall before the Port Vale game, it was still a risk to make this many changes.

These alterations paid dividends against the Robins as they were able to secure their first league win in almost six months, but that success didn't last, with the Royals sitting at the bottom of the League One table.

Which Reading player has been frozen out under Ruben Selles?

Guinness-Walker, Holmes and Carroll were the three main faces frozen out under Selles following the August game at Vale Park.

Carroll has left the club since then, joining Amiens during the latter stages of the summer window, but Guinness-Walker has been able to force his way back into the Royals' manager's first-team plans.

One man who hasn't been able to do that is Holmes, who has made just four senior appearances in all competitions this term, with two of those displays coming during the Royals' opening two league games of the campaign.

That just goes to show how little game time he has had in recent times, with the defender being left out of the matchday squad for much of the season.

Holmes hasn't performed brilliantly in recent seasons and played a part in the club's relegation from the Championship, but his fall from grace has been quite astonishing.

He was reportedly wanted by Nottingham Forest back in January 2022, but less than two years later, the Reds are now in the Premier League whilst he can't get into a side that are at the bottom of the third tier.

What next for Tom Holmes?

His career in football is continuing to go downhill - and a move away from the Select Car Leasing Stadium could be the best outcome for all parties.

The Royals may be keen to give Nelson Abbey and Tyler Bindon a chance to shine over him now and with the financial situation that the club's in, cashing in on a senior first-teamer like Holmes wouldn't be the worst call.

The academy graduate has been with the club through a very rough couple of years - and with the 23-year-old likely to be scarred by that - a fresh start elsewhere would suit him perfectly.

He still has more than 18 months left on his contract, but a January move is a must for him if he wants to get his career back on track.

The only way he's likely to play regularly for the Berkshire outfit in the future is if there's a managerial change - but that doesn't seem to be on the horizon anytime soon.

With the financial issues that the club has, they may not be able to afford to sack the ex-Southampton boss, so Holmes may remain on the sidelines in the coming months.

In January, the player may need to move to another third-tier side or a team lower in the pyramid due to the fact he hasn't had the chance to put himself in the shop window in recent months.

But this is a move he needs to make, because he won't develop if he isn't winning game time.

Even with his current lack of game time in mind, it would be difficult for him to exit the club considering he's a boyhood fan of the Royals, but his current situation can't go on if he wants to be a success in the game.