Oxford United manager Des Buckingham has ruled out the possibility of signing more free agents despite ongoing injury concerns within the squad, according to Oxford Mail.
Attackers Marcus Browne and Kyle Edwards have both been ruled out until the New Year, leaving the U’s short on attacking options. Browne only returned from his latest setback last weekend, coming on as a second half substitute in the FA Cup win over Grimsby Town. However, he lasted just 12 minutes before he was withdrawn with a fresh concern.
Similarly, Ipswich Town loanee Edwards has also struggled with fitness since joining in the summer after picking up a hamstring injury in September. His return to action lasted just 70 minutes over two games before he has once again found himself in the treatment room.
Buckingham has confirmed that the pair are likely to miss the hectic holiday period, but dipping into the free agent market appears to be off the table. The 38-year-old acted quickly last week to bring in the experienced Joe Bennett to offer defensive cover in light of the news that Greg Leigh will be out for slightly longer than initially anticipated.
The 29-year-old suffered a calf complaint whilst on international duty with Jamaica, although is expected to return to action at some point throughout the month.
Speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow’s crucial League One clash against Peterborough United, Buckingham addressed the situation:
“We’ve got a recruitment meeting next week, where we’ll look at what we can do, but it’ll likely be January and nothing before that.
“Joe came in because we had a severe lack of full backs, with Greg pulling up before the Cheltenham game.
“We’ve got a meeting next week and we’ll assess what we want, and what we can do, but it’s more likely looking to be the January window rather than before.”
The former Mumbai City manager is still searching for his first league win since taking over from Liam Manning last month, with Oxford having slipped to third as a result. Defeat tomorrow would see Posh leapfrog them in the table.
Writer’s View
Whilst supporters would love to see the club act now and bolster their squad, it is wise to wait until January in order to target players the new manager wants to bring in. The free agent market is limited and it may be a case that the wrong type of player is brought in simply to add numbers.
With that said, Oxford will be hoping they don’t lose too much ground after Manning guided them into the automatic promotion spots before joining Bristol City last month. They are already three points behind second-placed Bolton Wanderers and there are still six fixtures to play before the transfer window reopens in January.
Head of Writing
