Reading under-21 striker, Dominic Samuel, has extended his loan spell at League One Gillingham until January 28th.
The striker originally signed on a 2 month loan deal at the start of November, and after scoring 4 goals and putting in some key performances for the League One outfit, Gillingham have now decided to have him for another month.
McDermott admitted after the Bristol City game on Saturday that he would be holding talks over the future of Samuel and said that he would make the decision that was the best option for Samuel, who many at Reading feel will go on to be a key first team player in the near future.
Some fans even think that Samuel should never have gone on loan to Gillingham and that he should have been given the chance to prove himself at Reading.
Samuel also had a very successful loan stint at Coventry City last season which allowed him to prove himself at League One level, and now he has gone to high flying Gillingham and proven himself once more, and another month playing regular football can only help his development as a footballer.
McDermott will be hoping that when Samuel does return to the Royals, he will be able to be an important member of the squad, especially as top goalscorer Nick Blackman looks to be on his way out of Berkshire.
Reading will need to replace Nick Blackmans goals, and Samuel may be able to fill this void, which will be even more beneficial to Reading as the won’t have to spend a single penny.
However, for this moment in time, Dominic Samuel will be at Gillingham until the end of January, where McDermott will be hoping he can bag a few more goals and gain some more vital regular football to further increase his development.
