ESPNsoccernet: England

Reading midfielder Danny Guthrie says he is enjoying life at the club once again, following his bust-up with manager Brian McDermott.

Danny Guthrie has won his place back in the Reading side (GettyImages)

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Guthrie, 25, was fined two weeks' wages after refusing to travel to the away fixture at Sunderland last month, claiming his "head wasn't right".

However, after apologising to both his manager and his team-mates, he was eventually included in the starting line-up in the 2-1 win against Newcastle last Saturday, and the former Liverpool man now feels at home once again.

"I'm really enjoying it and whatever has gone on in the past is clearly out of the window,'' Guthrie told the club's official website. "I felt like I owed everyone not just a performance, but a bit of form to get us out of the hole we were in. I feel like I'm slowly doing that.''

Guthrie joined Reading from Newcastle last summer, but had made just five starts prior to the trip to Sunderland. Now, though, he has featured in the last seven games in all competitions as Reading have recorded three straight wins.

"I'm getting stronger in each game, and I got stronger as the game went on (at Newcastle)," he said. "To put back-to-back wins together in this league is tough - especially in the position we're in. It's massive.''

Reading play Sheffield United in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, seeking a fifth win in six games.

"I was told that this club always gets stronger after Christmas and we've certainly done that,'' Guthrie added. "This is just the start of a run of games we need to put together. By no means we're out of trouble, but we're just looking at it game by game and it's a nice position that we've put ourselves in.''

Information from the Press Association was used in this report