Danny Drinkwater, remember him?
Well, the on-loan Chelsea midfielder had a night to forget on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old started for Reading in their Championship fixture against fellow relegation strugglers Peterborough United.
Another royally bad day at the office
Reading had lost each of their last seven league matches by an aggregate score line of 24-7.
Perhaps uncoincidentally, Drinkwater featured in six of those, completing 90 minutes on three occasions.
He lasted the entire game yesterday evening, as the Royals ended their rotten run with a 0-0 draw.
However, the former Premier League title winner’s performance clearly left a lot to be desired.
The Reading Chronicle awarded him a 5.5 rating, alongside an almost sympathetic review.
“Not the worst performance of the season from Drinkwater – better than we’ve seen in recent weeks. But still not great,” wrote Benjy Nurick.
“Gave away the ball far too frequently and too many fouls. Some good passes, but still seems to have some quality on the ball but just not involved enough.”
Berkshire Live meanwhile ruthlessly dished out a 3/10, the lowest of any Reading player.
“Back in the starting 11 due to Laurent missing out through injury but was way off the pace throughout and bullied by the Peterborough players. A big disappointment,” declared Jonathan Low.
Drinkwater is drowning
It’s difficult to see where Drinkwater’s career can go from here.
Half a decade ago, he was at the peak of his powers, playing a part in Leicester City’s miraculous top flight triumph.
He then earned the major move to Chelsea in 2017, but everything has since fallen apart for the ex-England international.
Stints at Burnley, Aston Villa, Kasimpasa and now Reading have done virtually nothing to increase his stock.
Many Stamford Bridge supporters are surprised he is still on the club’s books (Reading fans probably think the same).
Surely it won’t be long before the Blues finally release Drinkwater into the wild.
There is the fear that he could be lost in the wilderness forever, unable to find footballing shelter.
We hope you find refuge soon, Danny.
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