Reading could earn in excess of £1m for their part in the FA Cup fourth round tie with Manchester United.

Financially speaking, a trip to Old Trafford is the most lucrative draw in the competition, with the away side picking up 45 per cent of the total gate receipts at the 75,000-seater stadium.

A sold-out allocation of 3,094 will follow the Royals, while over 70,000 home supporters, all paying upwards of £40 for an adult ticket, will make for a scintilating atmosphere at the Theatre of Dreams.

This does not even take into the consideration the income from the match being broadcast live on ITV4.

The prize money, a relatively meagre £120,000, will contribute to a total of almost £1.6m should the Royals cause an upset.

Still operating under a transfer embargo for breaching Profit and Sustainability regulations, every penny counts in RG2.

A replay, should the sides fail to be seperated on Saturday, would also see the coffers fill up ahead of the summer, although this would be considerably less with the smaller attendance and 45 per cent take-home.