Oxford United have had some brilliant players wear the famous yellow and blue kit over the years.
The likes of homegrown hero Joey Beauchamp, stalwart Ron Atkinson and international superstars John Aldridge, Ray Houghton, Dean Saunders and Jim Magilton have all turned out for the U’s.
However, there have been some who were involved in the club but failed to make the grade.
Greatest Players Not to Have Played for Oxford United
Peter Beardsley
A player with a prestigious career, Peter Beardsley spent time at Oxford United as a youngster, as he recently revealed on The Rest is Football podcast.
The Newcastle-born forward had trials at Gillingham, Burnley, Cambridge and the U’s before eventually joining Carlisle.
Having scored 22 times in 108 appearances, he helped the Cumbrians secure promotion to the Second Division before moving to Canada.
He would spend three seasons at Vancouver Whitecaps before joining his hometown club in 1983.
Beardsley turned out for the Magpies on separate spells, either side of Liverpool and Everton, and would earn 59 caps for England.
Should Beardsley have made it at the Manor Ground, it would have been in the old Division Three – the level he won promotion from with Carlisle.
Matt Le Tissier
Matt Le Tissier also had a stellar career, most of which came at Southampton. The attacking midfielder spent 16 seasons on the South Coast and remains the club’s second-highest goal scorer with 209 goals from 540 appearances.
He joined the Saints on a YTS deal in 1985, despite initially having a trial at Oxford United. However, the club decided to release the youngster before taking up a spot with Southampton.
Le Tissier, who won eight caps for England, went on to become the first midfielder to score 100 Premier League goals.
At the time, Oxford were a club on the up, having secured back-to-back promotions from Division Three to Division One. Looking with hindsight, Le Tissier could have been a welcome addition in the club’s first ever top flight, but the U’s held their own for three years along with a Milk Cup triumph.
Jermain Defoe
With Oxford passing on Le Tissier and Beardsley as youngsters, the final player could have joined in the latter stages of their career.
Jermain Defoe, a prolific Premier League striker, could have joined the U’s in 2022 following his release from Rangers.
However, the 39-year-old would go on to rejoin one of his former clubs, Sunderland.
Defoe scored 20 goals for England from 59 appearances and would end his career with 162 Premier League goals.
It was a turbulent season for Oxford, with the sacking of Karl Robinson and the fight to stay in the division under Liam Manning. Who knows if the arrival of Defoe would have stopped the rot?
