ALEX Gorrin could be offered a deal at Oxford United – if he is able to prove his fitness.

The Spanish midfielder, 29, suffered a knee injury during training in December and has not played for the club since.

Gorrin also missed a large chunk of the 2021/22 campaign after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury to his other knee during an Emirates FA Cup tie against Bristol Rovers.

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The former Motherwell man’s contract with United has expired, but he is training with the club in order to continue his rehab.

Asked by this newspaper whether it’s possible Gorrin could earn a new deal with the U’s, head coach Liam Manning said that the midfielder’s fitness and performance levels would dictate the outcome of his future with the club.

Manning said: “First and foremost with what he’s done, he’s earned the right to have the opportunity, and secondly, I can’t speak highly enough of his character and how he is as a person.

“He’s terrific and someone that only helps having around the building.

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“I sat down with him at the back end of last season to give him real clarity and to be fair to him.

“That helps with that level of security, and for me it was ‘get yourself fit and then we’ll assess you when you’re fit, and we’ll have a discussion’.

“He’s got an opportunity here if he comes back and gets fit, and performs to a high level, and then we’ll sit down and have a discussion with him.”

After the club returned for pre-season on June 26, Gorrin has been doing ball work on the training pitches, but is still a few weeks away from a full return.

Gorrin signed for United in June 2019, moving on a free transfer from Motherwell.

He penned a two-year contract, with a 12-month option which the U’s triggered in 2021.

Last summer, he agreed a new one-year deal with the club.

Gorrin has made 114 appearances for United, 87 of those in Sky Bet League One.

Last season, he played only 13 times – eight in the third tier – with his most recent game coming as a substitute in the FA Cup first round win at Woking in November.

Without Gorrin, previous U’s boss Karl Robinson looked to Lewis Bate, Cameron Brannagan and Marcus McGuane in the deeper midfield role.

Leeds United loanee Bate made a late substitute appearance in Manning’s first game in charge – the 1-1 draw at Morecambe – but missed the rest of the season having broken a bone in his hand during the previous weekend’s 3-2 defeat at home to Derby County.

Manning turned to a double pivot of Brannagan and McGuane in midfield for the rest of the campaign, while Oisin Smyth was handed a long-awaited first league start against Morecambe, and went on to make a further five appearances last season.

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About the author

To sign up to Liam’s latest Oxford United newsletter for free, click here: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/newsletters/

Formerly the politics reporter for the Oxford Mail, Liam now covers all things Oxford United.

Liam attends the U’s home and away, as well as covering other big sports stories across the county.

His Oxford United newsletter is released every Saturday morning at 6am.