Reading boss Brian McDermott says he's leaning on advice from Aston Villa counterpart Paul Lambert ahead of their Premier League return.

McDermott admitted the Premier League had "really kicked on" since Reading were last in the division and was under no illusions that his side could suffer at times at the hands of "the best teams in the world".

But the 51-year-old, who had no doubt Reading had earned "the right" to mix it with the elite, plans to take it all in his stride.

McDermott said: "It was interesting talking to Paul Lambert in particular the other day and he said, 'What a great place to play and great experience and you're going to enjoy it'.

"It was quite funny, actually, some of the stories he was telling us about during games.

"They were playing Manchester City and they were 0-0, half an hour gone, and then [Sergio] Aguero beat three people and put it in the top corner, and they got beaten 6-1.

"But it was interesting to listen to."

Asked what advice Lambert gave him, McDermott said: "What he said was, 'Don't be too hard on them'.

"Because there are times when you're coming up against the best teams in the world.

"It's a very simple bit of advice but it's spot on, and that made a lot of sense to me."

McDermott added: "He got that advice from another manager the previous year."