Oxford United boss Karl Robinson has revealed that midfielder Mark Sykes is to be made available for loan, as reported by the Banbury Cake.

The 22-year-old, who joined from Glenavon in January this year, has only made a single appearance for the U's as they progressed in the EFL Cup at the expense of Peterborough United.

With players coming into the Kassam his chances are set to be limited and that's prompted Robinson to make him available for a temporary spell away from the club.

"Sykesy needs to go and play some minutes," said the former MK Dons boss.

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“I think while we have all these players at the moment there’s no point having an investment being a substitute. We feel playing in League Two hopefully will allow us to grow that and hopefully, bring him back in January to fight for his place."

Robinson went on to outline the depth of his squad, rattling off several players who were ahead of the Northern Ireland Under 21 international.

“We’ve got Cameron Brannagan who is on fire in that position. Ben Woodburn and Jamie Hanson can play in there, even Tariqe (Fosu).

“Shandon’s coming back now as well, so we’ve got a lot of players who can play in that position. Right now they’re a little bit ahead of him in my mind."

One possible destination for Sykes is League Two side Port Vale, who had tracked him during his time in Ireland and were close to securing a deal for his services before Oxford swooped in earlier in the year.

The Verdict

This is the right decision and a sensible route for Robinson to go down. Mark Sykes is a young player with a lot to offer, but he won't develop sitting on the bench or in the stands.

A loan move should afford him a chance to play regular football for a few months and keep him sharp. As the season progresses players get injured, a team picks up suspensions and he may get his chance, but right now that's not the case.

He did look competent and accomplished during his handful of outings last season and he'd be a great fit for a strong League Two side.