adminOxford United head coach Gary Rowett has dropped hints over the club’s January transfer plans after club captain Cameron Brannagan limped off the pitch against Middlesbrough.
The U’s skipper was forced off the pitch in the first half of his side’s 1-1 draw with Boro in which he played a key part in Luke Harris’ opening goal.
Brannagan switched a pinpoint ball over to left back Jack Currie who found the goal scorer in the box to put United ahead against the team placed second in the Championship.
Will Vaulks replaced the Yellows captain, but beyond him Rowett has little to no reinforcement currently in the central midfield area.
After a hefty summer transfer window saw the U’s bring in plenty of attack-minded players, there is a hole in the middle that desperately needs addressing.
“We spoke about it in the summer, and we signed about 15 strikers and wingers,” Rowett reflected.
“We spoke about the balance of the squad…it’s something that we’re certainly very aware of..
“We’ve now got to plug that gap, obviously in terms of a starting line-up and Vaulksy is a player that can come in and is more than happy with that.
“But it doesn’t give us an awful lot of cover off the bench, so we’ll have a look at it.”
The Yellow’s boss confirmed that Brannagan will most likely miss his team’s big clash with Norwich City on Tuesday night and possibly more fixtures beyond that.
The Canaries suffered defeat in their first match under new manager Philippe Clement in a 4-1 defeat at Birmingham City but will be looking to turn their dismal home form and season around against the U’s.
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“Tuesday for them, at home against us. They’ll be talking about, ‘this is our moment to change our season’. So, we have to be at our very best.
“I don’t think I’d talk about any team as a relegation rival. I think we’re all down the bottom end of the league where we don’t want to be but, you’ve seen the Championship, that can change within a three, four game cycle.”
Tuesday’s opponents currently sit in 23rd, two places and five points behind Rowett’s side.
They have lost every single home game so far, a huge factor in the sacking of former Oxford boss Liam Manning two weeks ago, and, despite their awful form at present, will see Clement’s first match at Carrow Road against United as the ideal opportunity to pick up their first points at their own ground.
The U’s go into the game with Brodie Spencer, Cameron Brannagan, and Matt Phillips unavailable, but Hidde ter Avest will be up for selection despite missing out against Boro.
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