PAUL Clement will give Adrian Popa and Yakou Meite a chance to impress him during pre-season.

The two wingers returned to pre-season training from loan spells in Saudi Arabia and France respectively.

Talented Meite, 22, spent the entirety of last season back in his homeland, playing 22 games and scoring four times to Sochaux.

Popa meanwhile spent the second half of the season at Al Hilal after he clashed with former Royals boss Jaap Stam.

Reading Chronicle:

Adrian Popa is back at Hogwood Park. Picture by Chris Forsey

The pacey 29-year-old was linked with a move back to Romania but sources close to the player told the Reading Chronicle he wants to remain at Madejski Stadium.

And boss Paul Clement insisted he is keen to give both Popa and Meite a chance this summer.

"Yakou is training with the first-team," stated Clement.

"It's only the first couple of days so it's too early for me to make any comments about him really but he's training hard and he will get opportunities in the next days and weeks to train and play some games.

"The same goes for Adrian Popa, I saw him towards the end of last season because he did come back for just over a week. It's the same situation."

Fellow winger Callum Harriott, who has been out since December 2016 with a major hamstring injury, is also back in full training and could provide another wide option for Clement next season.

However, Clement hinted that midfielder Joey van den Berg, a mainstay under former boss Stam, could be shown the exit door this summer.

The 31-year-old did not appear to train with the Royals' first-team yesterday but he has been seen at Hogwood Park this week.

Clement said: "Joey is here and it's going to be difficult in midfield, very competitive in fact.

"The amount of midfielders that we have and whether I play with two midfielders or three, there are a lot more players than there are places on the pitch.

"It's going to be very difficult and very competitive."