Four former Reading players are still searching for new clubs as they train with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) during the final week of its summer pre-season programme.
Tom McIntyre, Tennai Watson, Billy Bodin and Will Keane are among the out-of-contract players taking part in the PFA’s training camp as they look to secure their next moves.
The 12-week programme, which began in June, has provided free agents with regular training, friendly matches and access to clubs and scouts.
McIntyre is arguably the most prominent former Royal in the group.
The 27-year-old came through Reading’s academy after joining as a youngster and made his first-team debut in December 2018.
He went on to make more than 100 appearances for the Royals, becoming an important member of the side and captaining the club on several occasions.
McIntyre left Reading for Portsmouth in January 2024, having made 117 appearances for the club.
He subsequently spent time on loan with Charlton Athletic and Bradford City before leaving Portsmouth. He also had a brief spell with Aberdeen in Scotland earlier this year.
The defender is now without a club and is using the PFA programme to maintain his fitness while looking for his next opportunity.
McIntyre has previously spoken about the importance of the PFA camp, telling Sky Sports in July that being surrounded by other players in the same situation helped him deal with the uncertainty of being a free agent.
Watson is another player with strong Reading connections.
The right-back came through the Royals’ academy and made his first-team debut in August 2016.
He spent time on loan with AFC Wimbledon and Coventry City before leaving Reading in 2021. He subsequently played for MK Dons and Charlton Athletic before joining Barnsley in 2025.
Watson’s one-year Barnsley contract expired at the end of last season, leaving him searching for another club.
Bodin has a more recent connection with Reading.
The forward joined the Royals on loan from Burton Albion in February 2025 and scored twice in 16 appearances during the second half of the League One season.
He returned to Swindon Town on a permanent basis last summer and made 27 league appearances during the 2025-26 campaign, but is now back on the free-agent market.
Bodin’s Reading connection also runs in the family, with his father Paul having made 41 appearances for the Royals between 1996 and 1998.
Keane spent the second half of last season at Reading, joining on loan from Preston North End in January.
The striker reunited with then-Royals boss Leam Richardson, having previously worked with him at Wigan Athletic. Reading confirmed at the end of the season that his loan had expired.
The quartet are part of a wider group of experienced players still looking for clubs after the closure of the summer transfer window.
Among the other notable names involved in the PFA programme are former Sheffield Wednesday forward Fernando Forestieri, former Preston and Wigan midfielder Daniel Johnson, and striker Freddie Ladapo.
Forestieri has been seeking a return to English football after spells in Italy, Malaysia and Cyprus, while Ladapo was among 45 free agents attending the PFA’s final camp in September.
The PFA’s expanded programme has been designed to give players without clubs an opportunity to remain match-fit and put themselves in front of potential employers.
It has previously helped a number of high-profile free agents secure new contracts, with former Reading midfielder John Swift among those to benefit from the scheme after signing for Portsmouth last summer.
