Reading midfielder Ben Elliott is to miss at least 12 weeks of action after having surgery on his thigh.

The former Chelsea youngster had impressed so far this season, picking up six goal contributions to date- already more than last season's total of four.

Limping off during last week's 3-0 defeat at home to Blackpool, the 22-year-old missed Saturday's 2-0 loss at Lincoln City and is unlikely to return any time soon.

Speaking after the defeat at the LNER Stadium, manager Noel Hunt confirmed the news.

"He saw the specialist yesterday [Friday] and they decided that he needed an operation, so he had that done today [Saturday]. We hope he’s through it now and it’ll be a minimum of 12 weeks."

He joins forward Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan on the long-term injury list, with the striker out until February.

Reading host Northampton Town on Boxing Day and Mansfield Town on December 29 before travelling to Cambridge United on New Year's Day.