Oxford United are preparing for a busy month of activity when the January transfer window opens tomorrow.

It is viewed as an opportunity by head coach Michael Appleton to mould the squad more to his liking, after running out of time to do so in the summer window, following his appointment last July.

Several departures are expected, making room for new signings.

When asked if that meant this was the most important month of his reign, the U’s boss said: “January is a big month anyway, but in terms of hopefully (showing) signs of where we need to be at the end of the season, possibly yes.

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“I think the players that come into the building are going to be really important, so we have to make sure that we get them right, whether it’s short-term deals or permanent.

“The players going out will hopefully marry up with what we’re trying to move away from and what we’re trying to move towards.

“That’s the biggest message I can put out there and come the end of the season hopefully we’re in a strong position.”

The clear-out began last month with Brian Howard and Tyrone Marsh leaving the club.

But other players are deemed surplus to requirements, including the three senior figures out on loan.

David Hunt (Barnet), Tom Newey (Northampton Town) and Junior Brown (Mansfield Town) are available to either stay out for the rest of the season, or leave on a transfer.

And the success of shipping players out will influence the scale of the recruitment this month.

“The ones that are out at the minute we fully expect to stay out on loan, whether that’s with the club they’re at now or another club, or possibly even permanent,” Appleton said.

“Everyone has a budget to work to and I can honestly say I’ve never gone past a budget.

“My maths isn’t brilliant, but it’s adequate and if we can move players out of the building it will certainly give us a better opportunity to bring some quality in.”

It all means a busy month awaits United, but Appleton knows there has to be a balance between long-term planning and keeping the day-to-day business on course.

He said: “You’ve got to be careful not looking too far ahead.

“You’ve got to deal with the games and it’s important to have a bigger picture, but in the meantime you’ve got to pick up results and get performances right.”

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