Peter Fear admits it's too early to say whether he will come off Oxford United's transfer list, but Matt Murphy - put up for sale at the same time as Fear says something could be happening soon about his future.

Fear, United's club captain, had an unhappy time at the start of the season and didn't figure in many of the 16-man squads named by Denis Smith and then Mike Ford, which prompted him to ask for a move.

But the arrival of Dave Kemp, and more significantly Fear's old boss Joe Kinnear, coupled with the turnaround of the club's fortunes, has got many fans thinking that he would withdraw his request.

However, Fear says that while there has been a dramatic change at the second division strugglers, with the club winning their last two matches, he's going to wait and see what develops before reaching a decision.

"I haven't spoken to the manager about the situation, but there's obviously been a big difference in things over the last few weeks," Fear said.

"But there's no rush at the moment and I think the best thing is to let them come to me."

Murphy was quiet on his future, but just said: "There could be something happening about a new contract, but you'll have to speak to the boss about that."

Kemp refused to go into detail about talks that might have taken place, but told the midfield duo that, like the rest of the squad, their performances on the pitch will determine their long-term future.

"They're not really on the list, because all that happened before I came here," Kemp said.

"I'm not saying too much on the matter because nothing has been sorted, but like everybody, they are playing for their future.

"We'll have to wait and see if their performances warrant a new deal, and whether they want to stay at the club.

"There possibly could be new contracts for them, but they've got to go and show it on the pitch."

Meanwhile, Kemp was forced to change his plans in yesterday's training session after heavy rain left their Sandford training ground looking like a mudbath.

"We were hoping to do some team play, but the ground was so heavy that we had to do crossing, shooting and finishing instead," he added.