Reading boss Noel Hunt admitted he was left 'hurt and upset' by the sale of star striker Sam Smith to Wrexham.

The 26-year-old scored 11 goals in the first part of the season and leaves with nearly 30 goals scored in over 60 appearances over two spells.

In a deal worth £2m, a club-record for the Red Dragons owned by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, Jayden Wareham was drafted in to start up-front in Saturday's 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers.

The first big-name departure of the transfer window, which closes at 11pm on Monday, Hunt had hoped to lose nobody and still hopes to lose nobody else, despite rumours continuing to circle.

Speaking on the process of Smith departing, Hunt said: "It happened so quick with Sam. I was pulled in on Thursday evening after training and was told, from the club’s point of view, the offer was too good to turn down and they had permission to speak to him. It was a tough one to take, we didn’t want to lose anyone in this window and I’m hoping it is enough to see us through and keep everyone else.

"It was Sue [Hewett]. She had an email from Dayong [Pang] and she was sad to tell me the news but that is life. It was, what they thought, a handsome offer from Wrexham and almost too good to turn down, they said. I have my views, of course, and this is football unfortunately. We have to hope and pray that we can keep everyone else, and we potentially might be able to bring someone in with the space. We will ask the question with the space left by Sam."

Smith was thrown in from the start by Wrexham boss and Royals legend Phil Parkinson, starting in their 2-1 win at Crawley Town on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Harvey Knibbs netted an 89th-minute winner to squeeze past the Trotters and end a three-match losing run.

Despite the 'handsome fee' received for the Smith exit, Hunt admitted it still hurt him.

"I was told that we were going to try and keep everybody. Of course, you’re upset and hurt by it, but I have to move on and focus on what I have to work on on the pitch. No one wants to lose their players, especially top scorer in the calendar year that had started this year well. He’s a big blow for us; he’s a very good player for this level. I can’t waste time thinking about what we could have had, I have to focus on these boys because they deserve that."