OXFORD United have placed Chris Carruthers and Matt Day on the transfer list.

And there is speculation that Blue Square Premier rivals Rushden are keen to take Luke Foster.

Right back Day and centre half Foster are with the England C squad in Sarajevo for tomorrow night's game against Bosnia.

U's boss Darren Patterson said he was unaware of the offer reportedly made by Rushden, according to a national newspaper, to take Foster on an emergency loan with a view to making the move permanent when the transfer window re-opens in January.

It is claimed that the initial bid was rejected, but that something might develop because Foster wasn't happy with the criticism he received following his red card at Wrexham, and that Diamonds have tabled a five-figure bid.

But United's manager confirmed that Day and Carruthers had been listed.

Day was left out of the 16-man squad altogether at Kidderminster on Saturday.

The listing of Carruthers is more of a surprise, but Patterson says he has done this to try to get a reaction from the former Northampton and Bristol Rovers player.

Carruthers was substituted at half-time in last week's 1-1 draw at home to Kettering.

"We're having continual dialogue with Chris," Patterson said.

"He's a fantastic lad, and has done nothing wrong. It was just that there were areas of his game we were concerned about, and we want to get him back to the player I know he can be."

Foster, outstanding in the second half of last season, is believed to be trying to negotiate for a new contract.

But he has been disappointing so far this campaign, and his suspensions have hit the U's hard.

Patterson rejected the claim that his criticism of Foster has been "over-the-top".

"We've had lots of chats, and as I've said, I've felt he hasn't been the player he was last season," he said.

"Yes, he's had some criticism. And he's also had a lot of praise when he deserved it, like at the end of last season."