Joey Beauchamp is waiting for the detailed report to come through from the specialist before deciding whether he can carry on playing.

The 31-year-old midfielder, who made only two appearances last season because of a toe injury, saw a specialist on Wednesday and the preliminary report suggests that he needs an operation.

A bone has "died" in his toe, which means there has been no blood supply to it. He will require an operation and it's believed there may be only a 50-50 chance of him playing again after having the op.

So Beauchamp, Oxford United's longest-serving player, has to decide whether to go for the op and try to give his career one last go, or bow to the injury.

"He's just waiting for the full report to come through," said United boss Ian Atkins. "To be honest, it doesn't look good and I think he's going to be struggling, but we're not pushing him.

"He needs to study the report and go from there, and make his decision. He probably needs 48 hours to digest it all."

It seems certain, however, that Beauchamp would be unable to play for them next season without the operation.