Published: Thursday, 18th March, 2010 4:00pm

`Siggy's our star man'

by Anthony Smith

Comments (0) | Print | Email

Superb form: Gylfi Sigurdsson's brilliant maiden season in the Championship has not gone unnoticed by Premier League clubs.

IVAR Ingimarsson believes Reading face a battle to keep hold of Gylfi Sigurdsson with a string of Premier League clubs tracking the hugely talented youngster.

Reading skipper Ingimarsson says there are no limits to Sigurdsson's talents and that the 20-year-old is good enough "to be anything he wants to be" in the game.

Royals Academy product Sigurdsson is in the midst of a sensational debut season in the first-team and is top scorer with 13 goals.

His exploits during the club's best FA Cup run for 83 years included an ice-cool injury-time penalty at Liverpool, the winner against Burnley and a thunderous strike to knock out West Bromwich Albion, placing top-flight clubs on red alert.

Sigurdsson netted both goals in Saturday's league victory over Bristol City and the winner against QPR on Tuesday night.

He signed a new contract last November until summer 2012 and the Chronicle understands Royals are desperate to avoid losing the Icelandic youngster, but would find a seven-figure bid hard to reject.

And Ingimarsson could not praise his fellow countryman highly enough, saying: "I think Gylfi can be anything he wants to be. It's just up to him now.

"He's totally dedicated to his football. Personally I haven't been around anyone of his age who looks after himself and trains as well as he does.

"I really hope that Reading can hold onto him because it's inevitable clubs will look at such a talented player like Gylfi - and they already are. I just wish him all the very best."

Loan spells at Shrewsbury Town and Crewe last season enhanced Sigurdsson's development. He made his full Reading debut in the 5-1 Carling Cup victory against Burton Albion last August when he scored with a 35-yard screamer.

And a series of brilliant displays and memorable goals that followed mean 'The Sig' has already become a hero to his growing army of Royals fans.

"I think Gylfi is a brilliant player, I really do," added Ingimarsson. "He gets around the pitch, he's not fazed when things are not going well.

"He just keeps at it and keeps improving and the future is very bright for him."

And he stressed: "For the club to have a player like him is wonderful. He came over here at a young age and he's worked very, very hard.

"He has improved every year and it's a credit to the people who have been looking after him. But most of the credit has to go to himself."

Boss Brian McDermott has kept a close eye on Sigurdsson ever since he joined the club's Academy. "Gylfi is a natural goalscorer, he's a special boy and has real quality," he said.

"We were waiting for him to grow while he was in the Academy. He came over here when he was about 13.

"He is getting bigger and has a real aura around him, especially since he scored against Liverpool. He is a real down-to-earth lad. He has a very big future ahead of him."

Sigurdsson will be in Royals starting line-up at the Riverside on Saturday for the clash against Middlesbrough (3pm).

A win would see McDermott's men make it a sensational nine Championship victories in 10 games and they would leapfrog Gordon Strachan's Boro in the process and possibly go 10th in the table pending results elsewhere.

Royals' boss has no fresh injury worries and hopes to avoid travel fatigue by flying his squad to the north east.