Martin Keown "sad" to see Brian McDermott sacked at Reading

Martin Keown has admitted that he was "sad" to see Brian McDermott sacked as Reading manager.

McDermott was relieved of his duties earlier this week by Royals owner Anton Zingarevich, and Keown has revealed that he feels for the 51-year-old.

"I was sad to see Brian McDermott leave Reading," Keown wrote in his column in the Daily Mail.

"He has done a magnificent job for 14 years in various roles and he always impressed me when I watched him at close quarters.

"He loved his players and they loved him — which is rare when you are near the bottom of the table. I hope he gets back into football very soon."

Reading are currently 19th in the Premier League.