Michael Olise 2.0? Reading FC wonderkid is one to seriously watch: View | OneFootball

The Royals may have a real gem on their hands, with a 16-year-old breaking into their first team already.

Reading have had some brilliant players come through the academy during its existence.

Gylfi Sigurdsson and Michael Olise are two of the Berkshire side's best ever players - and both graduated from the Royals' youth system.

Many of those who have graduated from the academy have gone on to appear for EFL teams - and some have even played in the Premier League.

The academy's importance was reinforced once again this pre-season, with many youngsters being forced to step up to the first team after the departures of their former loanees and Matty Carson, Nesta Guinness-Walker, Sam Hutchinson and Clinton Mola.

The Royals have been unable to bring any players in this summer due to their ownership situation and that has left the Royals with little depth in a number of areas.

Abraham Kanu has been forced to step up to the first team, along with Emmanuel Osho.

The pair endured a rocky night against Colchester United earlier this month, but both are promising players and Kanu looked like a major talent in pre-season, which is a promising sign for the future.

Fellow youngsters Adrian Akande and Andre Garcia also started against the League Two side, with the former struggling to make that much of an impact.

At 20, Akande needs to establish himself as a first-team asset soon or make a loan exit, but whether a temporary exit for the wide player will be sanctioned remains to be seen.

Garcia, meanwhile, is at an earlier stage of his career but could play a big part in the first team during the 2024/25 campaign.

Andre Garcia's rapid rise at Reading FC

Garcia made his competitive senior debut against Birmingham City on the opening day of the season.

He may not have been on the pitch for long, with Jeriel Dorsett returning in time for the tie at St Andrew's, but the 16-year-old was able to make an impression during his short time in action.

Being given the opportunity to impress on the wing, he looked a threat and worked very hard, and was given an opportunity to start in the following game against Colchester.

Also playing on the wing against the fourth-tier side, he was unable to make a real difference in the final third, but showed some promise and did enough to keep himself in the first-team squad for last weekend's visit of Wigan Athletic.

Coming on for Dorsett against the Latics, he did well during the latter stages of the game.

Wigan targeted his side a little, but he stood up to the challenge well and managed to guide the Royals to a clean sheet in the end.

How Andre Garcia could become the next Michael Olise at Reading FC

After just three competitive appearances for the Royals, it wouldn't be right to hype up the 16-year-old too much.

But at just 16, he already looks as though he can contribute at a first-team level.

He has his weaknesses, but that's to be expected at his age and he could iron those issues out fairly quickly under Ruben Selles, who has helped to develop some of the club's younger players since his arrival.

The likes of Tyler Bindon, Michael Craig and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan have all improved massively under Selles - and Garcia could get better and better in the coming months.

With the Royals' takeover seemingly close, his game time could become more limited in the next few weeks, because the club could have the opportunity to strengthen their full-back and wing areas.

However, if Garcia is talented enough, Selles will pick him, with the Royals' boss showing that he isn't afraid to put his faith in younger players.

There isn't much time left to go in the window and even though the Berkshire side may be able to use the free agent market after August 30th, the Royals probably won't bring in players unless they are good enough and can contribute straight away.

That could give Garcia an opportunity to shine, with squad depth issues still possible throughout the season, especially if injuries take their toll.

He could follow a similar path to Olise, who made his debut for the Berkshire outfit aged 17 against Leeds United.

His debut came back in March 2019, but he wasn't at his best for the Royals until the 2020/21 season, when he proved to be a key player.