Oxford United head coach Karl Robinson has made midfielder Mark Sykes available for a loan move as reported by the Oxford Mail.
The arrival of Ben Woodburn and George Thorne plus the imminent return from injury of Shandon Baptiste and the sparkling form of Cameron Branigan has seen the twenty-two-year-old fall down the U’s pecking order.
Robinson feels some game time will aid the youngster who has so far made just one appearance this season in the Carabao Cup and was left out of the squad altogether for Tuesday night’s defeat at the hand of Burton Albion.
However, the U’s boss was quick to stress that a loan move did not mean the end of Sykes’ Oxford career and insisted he was still very much part of his long term plans. He told the Mail: ‘Sometimes people see going out on loan as the end of a player.’
‘It’s certainly not, he’s one for the future and is one we’re looking forward to developing.’
Sykes moved to Oxford in January from Northern Irish club Glenavon for an undisclosed fee.
He made eleven appearances before the end of the campaign, and his impressive performances saw him earn a first call-up to the senior Northern Ireland squad.
It now looks like he will spend the first half of this season in League Two after Robinson said: ‘I think while we have all these players at the moment, there’s no point having an investment being a substitute.’
‘We feel playing in League Two hopefully will allow us to grow that and hopefully bring him back in January to fight for his place.’
Our View
Sykes showed last season that he is a decent prospect and there are sure to be several League Two clubs looking to secure his services.
He may well be one for the future, but right now Robinson needs points, and it sounds like he feels the youngster is not quite ready for third-tier football.
He certainly impressed Oxford fans at the end of last season, and many feel he deserves a chance in the first team. Indeed some feel Robinson has made a mistake.
Time will tell, but Sykes can shine In League Two, of that there seems little doubt.
