Departing Reading captain Graham Murty is joining Saints on a trial basis.

The 34-year-old Scottish international’s contract at the Madejski has expired, which has allowed Mark Wotte to bring him into the setup for a few weeks. Murty made more than 300 appearances over eleven years at Reading, winning promotion twice with the Royals, and leaves there having not been offered a new deal under new boss Brendan Rodgers.

Regardless of the outcome of the trial, he will return to Berkshire for one final appearance - his testimonial against Phil Parkinson’s Charlton Athletic.

Murty becomes the second triallist to join this week, after the Nigerian-born Belgian striker Ode Thompson arrived yesterday. Thompson won’t be eligible to play at either Eastleigh on Saturday or AFC Totton on Tuesday due to international clearance not having arrived in time, but Wotte and his coaching staff will take a look at him in training over the next couple of weeks. It’s unclear whether Murty will be available for selection or not.