Former Reading manager Brendan Rodgers admitted that his move to manage the club was 'a mistake.'

The Northern Irishman had spent four years as a player in Berkshire during the late 1980s and early 1990s before spending another decade as a coach in the youth set-up.

Departing for Chelsea in the early 2000s, he was offered the role in 2009 to replace legendary manager Steve Coppell.

However, it did not work on his return and the Leicester City boss lasted just six months before being replaced by Brian McDermott.

Reading would meet Rodgers just a year later as his Swansea City team beat the Royals 4-2 at Wembley Stadium in the 2011 Championship play-off final, believing the Swans 'just fit.'

Speaking with Ben Sheppard and Chris Kamara on the Proper Football Podcast, the former Celtic and Liverpool boss opened up on his time in the hotseat in RG2.

"I think I was in a rush to get to the highest level," he admitted. "I thought that opportunity would help me. I’ve said all along I didn’t make the right move when I left Watford. There were many factors for going back, Reading had just missed out on the play-offs, so I felt that they were close.

Reading Chronicle:

"I lived in Reading, my house was there, my kids were at school there, I thought I knew the club. I’d been associated with the club for four years as player and 10 as a club so I felt I knew everything about the club and that I would be able to reshape it as that summer they were going to lose a lot of players and they wanted to rebuild again back to the Premier League.

"I thought everything was set-up there to get me there quicker with Reading than it was with Watford, and that was a mistake. I just felt it was the wrong time. When I look back on it now, with all my experience, I definitely could have been better there as well."

He went on to have a glittering career, almost leading the Reds to nthe Premier League in 2014 and winning successive 'Doubles' with Celtic before joining the Foxes.