JAAP Stam has been dealt an injury blow after John Swift was ruled out for the rest of the year.

The midfield star limped out of the England U21 clash against Italy U21s at Southampton last week.

He rolled his ankle in the first half and a scan confirmed he has sustained ligament damage.

Royals fear Swift, who has been outstanding all season, could be sidelined for up to eight weeks and that he will not feature again until January, though Stam yesterday suggested he could be back sooner.

“John Swift will not be fit for this weekend, it is ligament damage on the ankle so he’s going to be out for the next couple of weeks,” said Stam.

“Everyone in the squad knows what Swifty has done for us so far this season and so the person stepping into that position knows what he needs to do now.

“The other players have the quality to do the same as well, we don’t want players to get injured but it happens. Now it’s a chance for somebody to come into that position and do well.

“Swifty has played a lot of games some players need to wait for their moment, and now it is there moment to come in and do well.

“That’s how it goes in football sometimes, as a player you need to be patient and take your chance when it comes.”

Swift, 21, has scored four times and provided four assists in his 17 appearances for Royals since his summer move from Chelsea.

Stam added: “We know these injuries can happen when players go on international duty.

“It’s not one of those injuries that have happened because they’ve pushed him to hard, it was just one of the Italian players falling on his ankle and he’s twisted it.

“It is one of these injuries that you need to give time to recover, it’s a pity for us because he’s important to us but we’ve got other players who can fill that position.

Stam's men return from the international break this Saturday when they host Burton Albion (3pm ko) and, with Liam Kelly also out injured, Swift’s place could be taken by Stephen Quinn who has recovered from a knock.

Reading rose to fourth in the Championship table on the back of their 3-0 win at Wigan Athletic in their last league fixture and Stam's side will be searching for a fourth straight victory and clean sheet when they take on Burton.

“The international break has been a good opportunity to work with some players individually who did not go on duty, so it’s been good to have a short break from the games,” he continued. “But we want to make sure we stay in our rhythm.”