Oxford United are ready to step up their planning for the future by offering some of their best-performing players new deals.

Manager Chris Wilder feels it's important to make offers to some of the players who have helped the U's on a superb winning run this year.

And talks look likely to take place with key individuals this month.

Leading scorer James Constable and the versatile Adam Chapman are likely to be top of his list.

Wilder said: "There's a few who have done well enough for us to consider about making offers to see if we can keep them beyond this season.

"We've raised the bar and raised expectations over the last couple of months.

"We've won nine, drawn one and lost one since that Salisbury game when there was really no time to prepare the team as I had wanted.

"That's a fantastic record when, as some people have said, the team has been chucked together.

"Over the next month we'll be building and having an eye on next season, but we also want to win games now.

"While there's still a chance of reaching the play-offs this season, we'll be doing everything we can to reach them.

"You hear some managers and chairmen talking about five-year plans, or three-year plans. Sometimes it's a load of rubbish. Our plan is for us to win the next game – that's how it is in football.

"There's still a lot of work to put into the team, but we need to be thinking ahead a bit as well."

There have been times in the past, under previous regimes, when United have delayed offering new deals in the closing months of the season until they know which division they are in.

But that doesn't come into it this time, even though there is still a possibility of the U's winning promotion back to theLeague via the Blue Square Premier play-offs.

"What division we might be in next season doesn't make any difference," Wilder added.

"I'd like to think the players we do sign can handle the level above, should we be in a position to be there.

"This is the hardest division to get out of, as I've said before, and you can see how the teams that have gone up have generally gone on to do well."

The U's have already begun preliminary talks with Shrewsbury about keeping Constable, who is on loan from them for this season.

Chapman, who can play in midfield or defence, is another that Wilder would love to hang on to, but his parent club, Sheffield United, may not want to let him go.