Colchester United setback shouldn't define Reading FC player: View | OneFootball

Abraham Kanu may have been withdrawn in the first half against Colchester, but he shouldn't lose confidence following a brilliant pre-season.

Tuesday night was a massive learning curve for Reading's players, having been dumped out of the EFL Cup by Colchester United.

They may be a league below the Royals, but Colchester fielded a side that was always going to give the visitors a run for their money.

Ruben Selles, meanwhile, was forced to promote many youngsters to the starting lineup because of his side's lack of depth.

Their ownership situation has prevented them from recruiting any additions this summer and with four first-teamers being released and their former loanes returning to their parent clubs, this failure to strengthen isn't ideal for the Berkshire side.

Coniah Boyce-Clarke replaced Joel Pereira between the sticks in David Button's absence - and the Royals lined up with a back four of Kelvin Abrefa, Harlee Dean, Abraham Kanu and Emmanuel Osho.

Kanu and Osho were making their senior competitive debuts, reinforcing just how inexperienced the team was.

Lewis Wing and Harvey Knibbs started alongside Charlie Savage in midfield, providing the Royals with a bit more experience in the team, but the inexperienced Adrian Akande, Andre Garcia and Jayden Wareham started in front of them.

It was no surprise when the Royals struggled with the hosts' high press early on, with the visitors all at sea during the early stages of the season.

They could count themselves unlucky not to have been more than 1-0 down in the first half, having looked very shaky at the back.

The Royals did come back from 2-0 down to take the game to penalties, but the away side lost the shootout in the end, allowing Danny Cowley's men to secure a place in round two of the cup and a tie against Brentford.

Abraham Kanu's withdrawal against Colchester United shouldn't define him

Kanu was part of a backline that massively struggled on Tuesday night.

His centre-back partner Harlee Dean didn't put in the best performance either, but the experienced defender put in a 6/10 shift, something he can be fairly pleased with after spending so long on the sidelines.

He was probably the Royals' best defender on the night, with the other three struggling.

Kanu picked up a booking early on, which didn't help his cause, and he could have easily been sent off for a couple of second bookable offences.

Thankfully for the Royals, the referee was lenient, but Selles took the decision to replace him with Tyler Bindon just after the half-hour mark.

After he trudged off, Selles consoled a devastated Kanu, who wouldn't have wanted his night to end early.

This performance must have been disappointing for the young defender following such an excellent season, with the player performing very well against numerous teams, including Championship outfit Hull City.

Clearly, he is a talented player and the 19-year-old needs to hold his head up high and perform well in training.

Tuesday's learning curve could be the making of Kanu, who could be a real asset in a more experienced backline.

Thankfully, he may have another opportunity to shine when the club competes in the EFL Trophy.

And if he can do well in that competition, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him win more league minutes later on this season.

The academy has proved to be such an important asset for the club, especially in recent years when they have been under an embargo.

This season, it will continue to be important, even with signings potentially set to come in after Rob Couhig completes his takeover of the Royals.

Abrefa could be a very important option at right-back, Jeriel Dorsett is likely to continue starting on the left and Michael Craig has continued to prove his worth recently.

Mamadi Camara could also feature heavily this season, having made a decent impact during the early stages of this season. He did very well against Colchester and could continue to be a regular starter.

And Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan could enjoy a very successful season as well, after scoring on the opening day of the season against Birmingham City.

Two players to keep an eye on are Kanu and Garcia.

The latter has shown promise recently and although the former struggled in midweek, he could shine for the Royals this season if given more chances to play.