DANNY Williams has confirmed his departure from Reading FC on social media.

The 28-year-old midfielder announced he will be leaving the club after four years on Instagram a short time ago.

Williams had been offered a new contract by the Royals and admitted the club did 'everything they could' to persuade him to sign it.

But the USA international admitted the lure of playing in the Premier League was too tempting to refuse.

Williams eventually allowed his contract to run down and he leaves Madejski Stadium as a free agent – with Huddersfield Town, who beat Reading in the Championship play-off final, firm favourites to sign him before the end of the week.

And Williams stressed the importance of getting the 'maximum' out of a 'short career' and that it crucial to 'step out of my comfort zone' and 'follow my dreams.'.

Williams joined Royals from German club Hoffenheim and made 135 league appearances, scoring 13 goals, over a four-year period.

Read Danny Williams' Instagram message to Royals staff and supporters in full:

“First of all I would like to say thank you for all the messages over the last month.

“I have read every single one of them and I appreciate the passion and love you have for your club!

“Unfortunately, my time at Reading has come to an end. It is important to me that everybody knows that Brian Tevreden and the club have done everything they could to convince me to stay.

“As a football player and athlete I know that I have a short career and I want to get the maximum out of it.

“I have always had the ambition to challenge myself at the highest level and never made a secret about my desire to play in the Premier League.

“Sometimes in life you have to step out of your comfort zone and do what is best for you.

“This is the reason why I left Germany to come here in the first place, and it proved to be the right decision at the time.

“You welcomed me with open arms which made it super easy for me to settle in, you always supported me and the team in the good and bad times and you let me do my mistakes which let me grow into a better player. I will never forget that.

“It was an honour to play for this club and the Madejski Stadium will always have a special place in my heart.

“But I feel it is the right time for me to move on and follow my dreams. I don't want to look back and have any regrets.”

Reading Chronicle:

Danny Williams in action against Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May.

He concluded: “I also want to thank Jaap Stam and his staff (Andries Ulderink, Said Bakkati, Steven Reid, Dave Beasant) and the athletic coaches around Ed Franklin for getting the best out of us.

“The last year was obviously the most exciting one for everybody, even if it ended in heartache.

“But it shows what you can achieve when you have the right people with the right vision behind it.

“I am looking forward to following what next season holds for this talented group of players.

“I hope the support will be as least as good as it was towards the end of last season because the players deserve it.

“Hope to see you again soon. Thank you! DW23.”