Oxford United Coach Praises Mills Ahead of Preston Move

Mills' Transfer to Preston

Oxford United head coach Aaron Ramsey confirmed that the club had agreed a deal with Championship side Preston North End for 22-year-old winger Stan Mills to move to Lancashire in January. The transfer was announced last week, and Mills was absent from the squad the day after the agreement was reached.

Training and Squad Status

Ramsey said he was "pleased" with Mills after a week of training, following the winger’s request not to play in Oxford’s opening League One fixture. "Mills has trained well this week," the 35-year-old coach told reporters. "He's trained with the group, he's available. Obviously, he's got today's training to get through first, but he's done really well. For him to get his head down this week and to train the way he has done has been really pleasing. He'll be no different to the rest of the squad up for selection."

The winger had not featured in the 2-2 draw with MK Dons, and Mills was also missing from the 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Leyton Orient. Ramsey added that the player will be ready for selection once he completes the week’s training.

Brian De Keersmaecker remains out of action due to a shoulder injury. The Belgian midfielder has not played for Oxford since January and did not feature during pre-season because of illness. Ramsey noted that De Keersmaecker is still training and knows the situation, but "he hasn't played any minutes this pre-season, so he's got a lot of catching up to do."

Greg Leigh, a left back, was also listed as a possible doubt for the upcoming away trip to Stevenage. Ramsey said Leigh had trained earlier in the week and that his availability would be confirmed after the session.

Upcoming Fixtures

Oxford United will travel to Stevenage for their first League One away game of the season. The club is hoping to integrate Mills into the squad after his transfer to Preston is completed in January, while De Keersmaecker and Leigh remain on the sidelines.

The club’s focus remains on maintaining squad fitness ahead of the new fixtures, with Ramsey emphasizing the importance of training performance as the team prepares for the challenges ahead.