The 27-year-old was the subject of a late bid from the Goodison Park club on transfer deadline day, but without £5million on the table up front, the Royals were not prepared to do business.

Hunt, who joined up with his Republic colleagues just hours after the transfer deadline passed, is now ready to channel his disappointment into his country's World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Montenegro, and whatever lies ahead on the domestic scene.

Whether that means he could still get a move back to the Premier League in January - Sunderland are long-term admirers - remains to be seen, but he is planning to leave nothing to chance.

He said: "I am in the zone. I am ready for the next four months of putting my head down, working hard and if someone pays the money that will further my career, then all the better; if they don't, then I will work my butt off to get what I want in football.

"I have got back into a zone where I am angry and I am disappointed, but at the same time, that might benefit Reading again."

Everton's late interest raised the prospect of a swift return to the top flight after the disappointment of relegation last season, but as the clock ran down, Hunt's hopes dwindled.

He said: "It was a mad day, all right. There were a couple of hectic days and coming and going in terms of wanting to go to the club that was interested in me.

"It was a big club and it was disappointing that Reading couldn't have helped me out a little bit to benefit my career in terms of what I have done for them.

"It would have been nice, so it was disappointing.

"It probably would have depended on the other club as well, how far they wanted to go, but from what I have been told, they [Reading] would get a good figure and the rest would follow over a certain period of time.

"They would have got the £5million within the year. But they [Reading] didn't want to budge at all regarding it and it was just disappointing.

"But I understand where they were coming from."

In the meantime, Hunt will have to console himself with two huge games for his country over the next week or so.

Ireland face Georgia in the German city of Mainz on Saturday after the game was moved to a neutral venue because of the ongoing political situation in the former Soviet state, and then head for Montenegro for their second qualifier next Wednesday evening.

Hunt has a serious chance of making the starting line-up with Newcastle winger Damien Duff injured.

Full-back Kevin Kilbane could play in Georgia despite fracturing a cheekbone at the weekend, while Richard Dunne, who did not train in Malahide on Tuesday night because of a sore throat, is expected to do so on Wednesday.