Oxford United currently have six players at the club that are on loan. Marcus McGuane, Liam Kelly and Mide Shodipo all joined the U’s in the summer, while Joe Grayson, Elliot Lee and Brandon Barker all arrived on deadline day at the end of the January window.
Grayson aside, all have been involved regularly and have shown their importance to this Oxford squad, but, if any, how many should the club be looking to sign in the summer permanently?
Marcus McGuane
On loan from Nottingham Forest, midfielder McGuane arrived with an exciting back story. He came through the youth academy at Arsenal and made two senior appearances before joining Barcelona. Despite only making one senior appearance for the Catalan club, the midfielder impressed in the B-Team, where he turned out 26 times.
He joined Forest in the January window but is yet to feature, largely down to the coronavirus outbreak halting his progress. However, the Championship club decided for him to get some valuable game time away on loan, and Oxford became the midfielder’s destination.
And he hasn’t disappointed. The 22-year-old has provided four assists from 20 appearances. His displays have been promising, particularly in the absence of Cameron Brannagan in the early part of the season, and has looked a threat on the left-hand side of the midfield three.
However, he hasn’t featured since January as a result of a thigh injury sustained against Bristol Rovers, and U’s boss Karl Robinson has confirmed that he could now miss the rest of the season.
McGuane is under contract at Forest until next summer, meaning the U’s would need to part cash for the midfielder. Despite that, at just 22, it would be a worthwhile investment pending the Championship’s plans for him.
Verdict – A wonderful talent with huge potential. Price permitting, the U’s should look to try and bring him to Grenoble Road permanently.
