With the opening kick of the Premiership season less than a week away, Reading midfielder Bobby Convey is working hard to make himself available for Sunday's potential headliner against defending champions Manchester United.

The winger was frustrated by a recurring knee injury for most of last season, even requiring surgery and a lengthy recovery period to work back into normal fitness.

In his absence, Reading and stand-in left winger Stephen Hunt excelled and exceeded expectations. The club firmly planted itself in the top half of the table, and Hunt even attracted interest from EPL rivals such as Bolton and West Ham.

Nearing full fitness, however, Convey is keen to return and offer himself to the team.

"Obviously, I was out for about six months, so it is very difficult to get fitness back in six weeks," Convey told American Soccer Daily. "But I have been working really hard and have already got through a few preseason games."

"I hope another good week of training will step up my fitness even more and I should be in contention for Man United. That was my goal when I started my rehab and that is still my target. I feel pretty good now."