Reading defender Tiago Ilori seems ready to finally have a chance of playing in the Premier League.
Having joined Liverpool in a €7m move from Sporting in 2013, the player was never able to make much of an impact for the Reds.
With spells at Granada, Bordeaux and Aston Villa, Ilori found it hard to settle before moving to Reading in January.
Speaking to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, the 24-year-old explained how excited Reading are about possible Premier League promotion.
“We’re confident, but we know it won’t be easy, Ilori told O Jogo. “We were third, we always stayed in front of other teams, but know it doesn’t count. It will be three finals, that is if we can beat Fulham.”
“We won two league games against Wednesday, but now it’s all different, we can’t look to the past, especially when everything will be decided in a match at the mythic Wembley.”
Having moved permanently from Liverpool to Reading in January, the player calls his new home “the ideal club” to play for, because he can grow and get some consistency on the pitch.
The defender had only made two appearances for Reading when he picked up a knee injury, and was unlucky to miss over ten games because of that.
“I arrived and I started one game – which went well for me, although we lost -, and then we decided we’d rest the day after, three days after, because I wasn’t playing regularly.
“But I needed to come in and injured my knee ligament. I didn’t break it, but spent four weeks with the knee immobilised and there were two months of recovery.”
Asked about leaving Portugal to join the Reds so young, Ilori claims he doesn’t regret the decision: “The past has gone, but I would decide the same. I had no conditions to continue and it wasn’t for the money, because I had better financial offers.”
“I tooj a sporting choice, for the trust I had and have in my qualities. If I didn’t succeed at Liverpool, I should blame myself.”
Tiago Ilori could be playing against Liverpool next season for Jaap Stam’s Reading, should everything go to plan.
