Reading have appointed Paul Ince as permanent manager following a successful interim spell in charge.

Ince took over from Veljko Paunovic in February and won four and drew three of his first 11 games in charge, leading the Royals to Sky Bet Championship safety with three matches remaining.

The former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder will again be joined by assistant Alex Rae for the 2022-23 season.

“Paul and Alex were brought into Bearwood to instil confidence, structure, spirit and determination into a first-team squad which in difficult circumstances had lost its way early in the year,” said club chief executive Dayong Pang.

“And ultimately, he had to produce almost immediate results.

“Fourteen points from their first 10 games proved enough to keep the club in the Championship and I am delighted that Paul and Alex have accepted the challenge to take this club forward.”

Mark Bowen has also returned to Reading as the head of football operations.