Darren Patterson paid tribute to Adam Murray's self-imposed levels of fitness after he returned to pre-season looking the business.

"He looks incredibly lean and has obviously looked after himself well during the close season," Patterson said.

The Oxford United manager believes the U's team has an excellent backbone - of which Murray is an integral part - which he wants to add to in the hope of making them real promotion challengers this season.

"With Billy (Turley) in goal, a great central defence of Quinny and Luke Foster, Adam Murray in midfield and then Yemi (Odubade), who was the outstanding red-hot striker in the last two months of last season, we have a great backbone.

"It's great to see Chrissy Willmott back with us. He's a centre half who was sold for £500,000 in his time, it's good to see that amount of quality. Obviously, we have to wait to see how he is after his injury.

"We've got some good players here and we want to add to them with quality, and have been working hard to do that.

"We know the areas that need strengthening.

"There's not been a great deal of activity in general so far this summer, though some clubs have bought quite a lot very early.

"In an ideal world it would have been ideal to have your whole squad complete ton start training together but that's not the case.

"There were a lot of teams that it happened to last season that had to wait, who had very successful seasons.

"What you have to remember is that we're back early. There are a lot of people still on holiday, a lot who will be coming back at the beginning of next week.

"There'll be a lot of triallists we'll be having a look at. It's always good to see them here before you take a dip."

The U's are using their old Milton United training ground base again after problems with it towards the end of last season when it often became boggy or bumpy, forcing them to train in the city instead.

"It's fine now," Patterson said.