A player McDermott is set to come up against next season is highly-rated midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, now set to sign for Tottenham instead of Liverpool after that successful loan spell at Swansea.
Sigurdsson came through the Reading ranks and played for the club more than 50 times from 2008 to 2010, scoring 22 goals, before being sold to German club Hoffenheim.
McDermott maintains there are no regrets about twice loaning out - and then moving on - a player who has since realised his potential.
He added: “We do that regularly at the club. We loaned Simon Church and lots of other players out. I was part of the decision-making process when Gylfi went out to Crewe and to Shrewsbury.
“It did him good. He played for Brendan (Rodgers, McDermott's Royals predecessor, who would later sign Sigurdsson on loan for Swansea). He was in and out of the team and I just thought his best position was no.10.
“He played and scored a lot of, around 15, for me from about Christmas time onwards. Terrific player.”
Indeed, it was because of McDermott’s handling of Sigurdsson that Hoffenheim came in for him in the summer of 2010 for £6million.
Sigurdsson is now a target for Liverpool, after they hired Rodgers as their new manager, as well as Spurs, while Swansea would love to make his loan permanent.
McDermott went on: “I haven't got a clue where he is going to go but I do know he is a top player.
"Anyone who plays that system - one off the striker - will see him score. I don’t care what team he plays for.”
