Stephen Hunt speaks with the same ferocity and honesty that typify his performances on the pitch, so when he slows down and considers his words, you know something is up.
Standing in an emptied White Hart Lane on Saturday evening, Hunt chatted freely about the match that had just taken place and the replay to follow. The 26-year-old was then questioned about his future and suddenly the words all but dried up.
"Only time will tell, the club knows my situation," Hunt said when asked if he would be at Reading at the end of the current transfer window - Sunderland have had a £2.5-million bid turned down. "I told the club what I thought about that and that will remain private. Sunderland is a big club and Roy is doing a great job there. But I'm at Reading and I'll give my best for them, that's all I can do."
Hunt clearly wants to move and, in particular, join up with another fiery Irishman. Keane's gain would undoubtedly be Steve Coppell's loss. In a match in which Reading rested eight regulars against a Tottenham side at full strength, Hunt inspired a highly improbable result, scoring both goals - he now has seven this season - and running throughout.
After the game the Reading manager, Steve Coppell, praised Hunt: "He has a great mentality and has allied that with real maturity. He is more intelligent with his play yet he keeps his 100 per cent commitment."
That commitment, unfortunately for Reading, is under severe threat.
Rafael Benitez remained defiant over his Liverpool future after yesterday's result heaped more misery on the Spaniard and sparked further questions over the security of his job. The Spaniard said: "I love the club and the fans and want to stay. I have two years left on my contract and if I could stay for two years more, I would be very happy.
Asked if the club's American owners wanted him to stay, he replied: "The people who own the club? I think so. But every day do I need to ask them that question? We are working together trying to improve the squad.
"All I think is that we scored a goal today and should have controlled the game, I don't need to answer questions about anything else."
The draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup takes place at 1.30pm today and will be broadcast live on BBC 2, Sky Sports 2 and on Radio 5 live
