Kerr, a highly-successful manager in Africa, played over 100 times for the Royals in the 1990s.

Part of the side that won the third tier in 1994, and very nearly won promotion immediately to the Premier League, the Yorkshireman keeps a close eye over proceedings in Berkshire.

Speaking on the popular 1871 Podcast about the club’s financial issues, with the club under yet another transfer embargo for not paying HMRC, the former full-back could hardly contain his sadness.

“I’m just bewildered how a club, how an owner, can let his club be in a position where they can get points docked, transfer embargoes, and keep not playing player,” he said. “I just feel sorry, the fans have been cheated. There’s no communication. Nobody knows where they are at the moment. Nobody knows where they are going. If they stay up, it is going to be a miracle. That should not be in Reading’s vocabulary, staying up. It should be ‘let’s challenge for promotion.’ Look at this stadium and these football fans who through all the worrying times last season kept coming to home games and kept supporting them away. It is just frightening.

“I look at Wrexham and they have two Hollywood legends that have taken over the club and they have taken them to a different level- the expectation level for that football club is on a different plain- everyone you speak to knows about Wrexham and what they’re trying to achieve. I’m looking at Reading Football Club, my former club where I had so many great memories and made so many great friends, not knowing if they are going to exist anymore.”

Back in League One for the first time in over 20 years, the campaign gets underway on Saturday as Peterborough United visit RG2.

Pre-season was a disaster, losing every match and scoring just twice.

The 20-year-old made his first-team debut on the final day of last season and was offered a contract over the summer.

However, the Royals have been marred with financial issues over the close season, with two HMRC problems and multiple transfer embargoes.

Currently under a transfer embargo, the Reading Chronicle understands that the Jamaica international is only on a week-to-week contract but ‘positive discussions’ have taken place over his long-term future.

Featuring in the second half of Saturday’s 4-0 friendly defeat, the Academy graduate endured a difficult afternoon.

The futures of Jokull Andresson and Harvey Collins, the two other young keepers training with the first-team over pre-season, remain unclear with the Royals having four goalkeepers involved over warm-up matches.

The Sun have also linked the club with West Brom stopper David Button in recent weeks.