Reading manager Paul Ince confirmed that the players must now partake in yoga twice a week in an attempt to shake the current injury curse.

Key stars such as Lucas Joao, Scott Dann and Femi Azeez are all on the injury table, with two unnamed players joining them this week in missing the upcoming clash against Cardiff City.

Boss Ince, a former England captain who spent time in Italy with Inter Milan, believes stretching better and yoga could help reduce the number of knocks picked up by the squad.

READ MORE: Reading FC midfielder on Royals chances

Speaking to the media ahead of the visit of the Bluebirds, the 54-year-old said: "We don’t seem to do it [stretch]. When I was at Inter Milan we used to stretch for 45 minutes before training and 45 minutes after- and they were stretches, not just talking and making out that you’re stretching and we never got injuries. You look at the top teams, Manchester City and Liverpool, they don’t get injuries and they’re intensity must be higher than ours. The likes of Salah and De Bruyne are playing every week in a high-octane situation, and yet we for some reason are getting injuries. Femi [Azeez] is one of the ones who stretches all the time, he goes for one run, pulls his hamstring and is out for eight weeks. There’s no reason behind it. It’s a strange one that I can’t put my finger on.

"A good pre-season has to be the key to it to build the foundations but within a week you have four to five injuries, and you think where has that come from. The medical team are doing all they can but I think stretching is important and that’s why I’ve introduced yoga twice a week for the lads because I believe it will be good for their bodies."

Reading Chronicle:

This is no recent issue, with the Royals missing key members of their team last season such as Lucas Joao, Yakou Meite and John Swift.

However, the former Manchester United legend does notice a difference in the type of injuries sustained this season compared to last- with the duration much quicker so far.

"They’re not long-term ones," he explained. "At least it’s 3-4 weeks not 3 months like Yak and Lucas, but they’re frustrating ones as they mess with your plans. Hopefully, we can change that."