Oxford United have announced the signing of Manchester United midfielder Joe Rothwell for an undisclosed fee.
The 21-year-old has signed a two-year deal with the newly-promoted League One side.
Oxford’s manager, Michael Appleton, has welcomed Rothwell to the Kassam Stadium and has said the youngster will get a chance to prove his worth.
“He has played for all of the England age group teams and been around the first team at Old Trafford,” Appleton told the club’s official website.
“He can play midfield or slightly further forward and he now gets a chance to get a run of games to get her and truly show what he can do.”
Rothwell leaves Manchester United after 15 years at the club. During his time at United, he enjoyed short loan spells at Blackpool and Barnsley, but didn’t manage to make his professional debut for the Red Devils despite being on the bench against Watford in March.
His 2015/16 season was disrupted by injuries and he only managed to make 9 appearances for Warren Joyce’s Under-21 side.
It’s definitely a good move for Rothwell. He’s 21 years old and desperately needs first-team football in order to grow as a player and continue his development.
He’ll have a chance to play in League One for a decent, ambitious club and will surely get more than enough chances to impress the manager next season.
He’s talented enough to become one of Oxford’s key players.
