Oxford United boss confirms Stan Mills absence ahead of Carabao Cup

The U’s kick off their season with a trip to League One rivals Orient in the cup, a first competitive fixture for new head coach Ramsey after a pre-season with four wins out of four.

The former Arsenal midfielder was appointed as Matt Bloomfield’s successor in June, with the club being hit with a temporary transfer embargo shortly after.

Three players have left the club since the ban – Ole Romeny, Nik Prelec and Will Vaulks – with rumours also recently surfacing regarding winger and last season’s player of the year Mills.

The 22-year-old scored twice in three games during pre-season including a second goal against Premier League side Ipswich Town.

“Stan has missed a couple of days of training, so he’ll be seeing how he gets through the next today and seeing what he can do,” Ramsey confirmed.

Oxford United winger Stan Mills (Image: Jason Dawson)

“But same with Brian [De Keersmaecker] as well, just seeing how today looks and seeing if they come through OK to be available for tomorrow.

“The rest of the squad are all trained well this week and they’re raring to go as well.”

Belgian midfielder De Keersmaecker did not feature during pre-season.

With the Yellows currently unable to replace any departing players, the club has a fight to keep the squad together during the last month of the transfer window.

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Oxford United head coach Aaron Ramsey (Image: PA)

“They are always are tricky, aren’t they?” Ramsey answered when questioned whether it would be a difficult rest of the window.

“With things going on in the background and stuff like that, but that’s all part and parcel of the job and me as a manager to be able to manage them situations.

“But for me, the players, they’ve been fully committed and I can’t speak highly enough of them.

“I’m really excited now for them to show what they can do this season.”

Oxford United midfielder Brian De Keersmaecker (Image: Jason Dawson)

The 35-year-old begins his first season as a head coach with a trip to East London in the cup after retiring from professional football in April.

“It’s different, obviously being on the side line, but I can’t stress enough that I am really excited for this.

“I’m ready for this opportunity and I hope that’s evident to see now.

“The team and the squad have been fantastic throughout pre-season and now it’s just about adding layers to that and for that to come to life now in these games.

“It’s a chance to win a trophy at the end of the day, so for us it’s an important competition and we want to be testing ourselves against the teams and seeing how far we can progress.”