Midfield Three
Cameron Brannagan
By Cameron Brannagan’s high standards, it has probably been a slightly disappointing season for the midfielder. That said, the 25-year-old missed a large part of the early campaign with a rare eye inflammation.
The former Liverpool man played a part in the opening four league games before missing over two months while recovering from his injury.
He returned for the 5-1 win at Burton on New Year’s Day and continued to put in a string of solid performances. Another turning point came in the U’s 2-1 win over Lincoln when Brannagan took the deeper role from the injured Alex Rodriguez Gorrin.
Brannagan continued the season in the role, keeping Gorrin on the bench. His influence on the game improved, while manager Karl Robinson felt he offered more from an attacking perspective when playing in that position.
Marcus McGuane
Like Brannagan, Marcus Mcguane has also missed a large part of the season with injury, but his impressive displays have earned him a spot in our team.
Signed on loan from Nottingham Forest in the summer, the 22-year-old hit the ground running in pre-season but took time to settle to competitive football.
He started the opening game of the season at Lincoln but sat on the bench for the next four. He returned against MK Dons, where he added two assists in a 3-2 win, but missed losses at Charlton and Fleetwood with a knock.
He returned slowly, adding two more assists before playing more minutes. But, his season would end in January after a thigh problem forced him off against Bristol Rovers.
Powerful on the ball and with an eye for a pass, McGuane could have been the difference in the playoffs if he was fit. That said, his performances impressed the U’s enough to sign him permanently ahead of next season.
James Henry
Also like Brannagan, James Henry probably hasn’t put in the sort of performances we have come to expect from him. That said, the midfielder became a key figure in the run-in towards the end of the season.
One reason for his inconsistent performances could have been down to Robinson frequently changing his position. He started the opening day defeat at Lincoln on the left of midfield before moving to the middle for the next two, where he scored and assisted in the win at Accrington.
Henry returned to the right-hand side of midfield for most of the early games but he struggled to make much of an impact, adding just three goal contributions before the turn of the new year.
However, a 4-3 win at Rochdale appeared to be a turning point. Coming on as a substitute, the midfielder assisted one and scored a peach as the U’s took all three points.
While he was still switching between the right and the middle, a return to action after missing seven games through injury saw Henry remain as a central player, and his performances helped the U’s to secure a play-off finish.
