Reading FC fans have been given fresh hope that Andy Carroll could be staying with the club.

The 33-year-old's short-term contract with Royals, which he signed in November, expired following the 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Manager Veljko Paunovic has consistently stressed he is keen to retain the services of the former Liverpool and Newcastle United forward for the remainder of the campaign.

A deal has been on the table for Carroll but is yet to reveal his next destination.

However, in an encouraging sign for Royals supporters, he was in one of the boxes at the Select Car Leasing Stadium for Reading's game with Luton Town on Tuesday night.

He posted a picture of the game pre-match along with the caption 'Come on the boy[s]' followed by a blue circle and white circle emojis.

Carroll, who scored two goals in his eight games for Reading, has been linked with a move to Premier League sides Burnley and West Ham United this transfer window.

Clubs have until the end of the month to do deals for the rest of the season.

Follow live coverage of Reading's game with Luton in the live blog here