A QUINTET of teenagers have been offered the chance to fulfil their dream to become a professional footballer at Oxford United.

Dan Harris, the club’s head of academy, delivered the good news, but did not leave them on cloud nine for long.

None of the five could be left in any doubt – the hard work truly starts now.

“What we’ve said to them is they haven’t even made it to X Factor boot camp yet, they’re still at the audition stage,” Harris said.

“All they’re doing is taking the next step, but we believe they’ve got enough about them and they have demonstrated enough so far to play their way into the building for next year.

“Now the challenge is to show the new manager, when he comes in, that you deserve to be in his first team squad, then the starting XI, then the XI at the top of the league.

“It’s an exciting day, but we’re trying to temper the expectations on them.

“If they start bowling around with Louis Vuitton wash bags under their arms and Gucci flip-flops they will be having a quiet word with me, because they’re a long way from being a real player.

“You’re a real player once you’ve played 50, 60, 70 games.”

United believe offering five deals to players in the same year group is a record.

Goalkeeper Niall Clayton, centre back Matt Berry-Hargreaves, midfielder Aaron Heap, winger Albie Hopkins and striker Dejon Noel-Williams are the chosen ones.

Owen James, in the year below, signed a contract last October, ensuring there is plenty of talent coming through as the U’s look to form an under 23 side for next season.

They will all look to follow in the footsteps of recent graduates such as Canice Carroll and Malachi Napa, who have made 27 first team appearances between them this season.

Harris sets the bar high and sees Callum O’Dowda, who played 106 games before being sold for more than £1m to Bristol City in 2016, as the model all young players at United should look to follow.

He said: “Our reference framework is can we see you playing in our first team at 20 or 21, playing 60 or 70 games and hopefully going on to attract the attention of other clubs in the country.

“We’ve got to be comfortable with that.”

And it is not just the football skills which will remain under scrutiny.

“We want young men that understand what it means to be an ambassador for this club and understand the privilege and the weight of responsibility that comes with wearing this badge,” Harris said.

“The young men we’ve taken forward, we believe they’ve got that part of their character.”