The U's complete loan signing of keeper
- Oxford United sign George Long
- England under 20 keeper joins on loan from Sheffield United
- Michael Appleton pleased with his second new face of the summer
Oxford United this morning completed the signing of goalkeeper George Long on loan from Sheffield United until January.
George, 20, is a six foot four keeper who became the youngest keeper ever to play for the Blades when he made his league debut in 2011. He was a key member of the United side that reached the FA Youth Cup Final that year and became the regular keeper at Bramall Lane for much of the 2012/13 season.
After being part of the England under-20 squad for the World Cup of 2013 he then became a regular member of the England under-21 squad. Despite his age he has already made 73 appearances for the Blades and Head Coach Michael Appleton is delighted to welcome him to Oxford:
“George is very highly rated and has been part of the England set-up so we are very excited to have him here. He is tall, he communicates well and likes to command his box.
“We need competition for every place in the side and with Ryan Clarke still on crutches we now have two good young keepers in George and Max Crocombe who will push each other all the way.”
George said:
“I played at Oxford in the cup a couple of years ago and the fans created a great atmosphere. You could see there is potential here and I’m really looking forward to it. As a goalkeeper you are always looking to learn and gain experience and I think this will be a fantastic opportunity.”