Reading FC have announced the signing of defender Terell Thomas on a deal until the end of the season.

The 26-year-old centre-back originally joined the club on trial last month and has featured twice for the Under-23s side, most recently against Burnely in a 2-1 win for Noel Hunt's side.

The former Arsenal youth Academy product has since gone on to gain invaluable experience in the Football League with the likes of Charlton Athletic, AFC Wimbledon and Crewe Alexandra.

The 6”3’ defender has joined on a deal for the final eight games of the season to provide cover for the likes of Michael Morrison, Tom Holmes and Scott Dann in the Royals’ fight for survival in the Championship.

Chief Executive Dayong Pang said, “We have eight games remaining this season and we want to give ourselves the very best chance of winning our fight for second tier survival in the last six weeks of the campaign. Terell has been training well with our first team and has been professional and patient in his attitude and application on the training pitch and adding him to our first team group will bring competition for places at the back, helping to push our players to be at their very best in search of the points we need to stay up.”

Thomas is available to make his first team debut as the side return to action in the crunch-match against Barnsley, who sit just five points behind Paul Ince’s side in the relegation zone.

He joins goalkeeper Orjan Nyland through the door at the Select Car Leasing Stadium since the arrival of Ince.

The former Don had been linked with a move to Birmingham City earlier in the week, but Pang appears to have worked quick to tie him down for the rest of the season.