Oxford United captain Elliott Moore has made his return to first-team training, but he is still a couple of weeks away from being available for selection.
The centre-back has been sidelined since suffering an adductor injury during the U’s 3-1 victory at Millwall on New Year’s Day. His absence has been a major blow for Gary Rowett’s side, with fellow defender Ben Nelson also recovering from a long-term quad injury at parent club Leicester City.
Moore, however, has resumed training earlier than initially expected, which provides a welcome boost for the team as they push forward in their League One campaign.
Rowett Provides Injury Update
Speaking about Moore’s recovery, Oxford United head coach Gary Rowett said:
“Elliott’s first foray into the first part of training for him, so I imagine that’s a slightly more accelerated process now he’s on the training pitch, even just with the players for the first bit of the session.
“That’s going to move forward the rest of this week and probably next week, and then maybe at the end of next week, at least he’ll have had some decent training time, and we’ll assess where we are, but he’ll obviously have missed a bit of football.
Moore’s return comes at a crucial time for Oxford, who have had to adjust their defensive structure in his absence. His leadership and defensive stability have been missed, and Rowett will be keen to reintegrate him as soon as he is match-ready.
Ben Nelson Still Some Way Off
While Moore is making positive strides in his recovery, his fellow defender Ben Nelson remains several weeks away from being available. The 20-year-old is undergoing rehabilitation at Leicester City and is not expected to return to full training with Oxford in the immediate future.
Rowett acknowledged the complexities surrounding Nelson’s return, stating:
“Ben is a little bit further behind than that, so when he gets to that end stage of the rehab, we’ll try to find a balance with Leicester, as much as he’ll need some games which I’m sure he’ll hopefully be able to get there, but at the same time, we’d like to try and get some involvement here and back into it with us.
“That one might be a little bit more complicated to find a solution, but he’s probably a good three or four weeks behind Elliott on that one.”
Writer’s View
The return of Elliott Moore to training is a significant step forward for Oxford United, who have struggled at times without their captain’s presence at the back. His leadership and defensive prowess will be key in the club’s push for consistency in the final stretch of the season. However, the fact that he is still a couple of weeks away from match action means the U’s must continue to manage without him for now.
