Reading Championship-winner, Leroy Lita, labelled iconic former manager Steve Coppell 'the best' on a recent podcast appearance.

Signed for a club record £1m back in 2005, Lita plundered 32 goals in 100 appearances, including 14 during the club's debut Premier League campaign.

Still scoring goals in non-league at the age of 38, the former England Under-21 international appeared on the popular Under the Cosh podcast with former EFL strikers Jon Parkin and Chris Brown.

Quizzed on his time in Berkshire, during which he won the 2005/06 Championship title in record-breaking fashion, Lita could not speak highly enough of Coppell.

"The best. You don’t see much of him outside of football, but he knows more about you than you think he knows," he told the podcast. "He comes from that [Sir Alex] Ferguson generation where they have their eyes and ears everywhere. He would do his investigations on you. I’m certain he had people following me. Some of the stuff he knew I was like ‘How?!’ It wasn’t like now where someone had their phone out and videoed. I was like ‘How?!’ He used to say ‘Leroy, I know where you were last night and who you were with. I heard she was a bit of a treat.’ He wouldn’t use it against you either."

Highly respected by most who played under him, his consistency of message and team was among his best features.

"He said if we win, the team stays the same. I don’t care if you’re 18 or 35. The team would only change if there are injuries or suspensions. He stuck to his word. What can you complain about? If the team won- the same team. There’s no one knocking on his door. If you get injured and miss a game, that team plays and you’re back- you have to wait your turn. What can you complain about?"

The forward, now playing for Nuneaton Borough, scored a hattrick in a Reading legends match earlier in the month.