FORMER Oxford United skipper Chris Hargreaves could be set for a sensational return to the Kassam Stadium.

The 37-year-old midfielder, who led Torquay United to promotion back to the Football League last season, is a wanted man, with several clubs on his trail – and one of those is Oxford.

It is understood he held talks with United yesterday, and Torquay boss Paul Buckle was quoted as saying he expected Hargreaves to rejoin Oxford.

Torquay have been talking to Hargreaves about a coaching role at Plainmoor, but it looks as if he wants to continue his 20-year playing career at least until the summer.

The hugely-experienced Hargreaves spent two years with the U’s and has made more than 670 career appearances, scoring 54 goals.

Hargreaves was released by former U’s boss Jim Smith, and immediately snapped up by Buckle.

He became a mainstay, and inspirational figure in the Gulls team, scoring one of the goals in the 2-0 play-off final win over Cambridge United.

But Buckle is pressing ahead with a mid-season shake-up of his squad, and has released experienced centre half Chris Todd to Newport County and sold centre forward Tim Sills to Stevenage Borough.

Hargreaves has effectively been offered the chance to work as youth-team coach at Torquay after his contract expires this summer, and he and his family are very settled in south Devon, but Oxford’s interest – the U’s rate highly his outstanding leadership qualities – has given him a dilemma.

He said on his blog, written in co-operation wih the Torquay Herald Express, this week: “I’ve got huge decisions to make and not much time to make them.”

l ANOTHER former U’s player, Andy Burgess, was yesterday handed a one-month ban by the FA for betting on football matches in which was involved.