JORDAN Obita has completed his move to Oxford United after spending almost a fortnight training with the club.

The 26-year-old left-sided player was released by Reading in the summer, so was a free agent.

He has agreed a deal until the end of the campaign, with United having the option to extend it for another 12 months.

Obita takes up the final available space in the squad, which was made available by not registering Derick Osei last month.

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And the plan is to give him 40 minutes in the Papa John's Trophy tie at Walsall tomorrow night.

Obita, who knew U's chairman Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth from his time at the Madejski Stadium, said: "I grew up just around the corner and there’s always been something within me that I want to come and play for the club.

"I’ve known the chairman for four or five years now.

"He gave me loads of phone calls over the last couple of months, showing his eagerness to bring me in.

"That’s what I want right now, people who want me and believe in me to try to progress and do well here, for myself and the club."

U's boss Karl Robinson has been keen to strengthen the squad since United fell short of what they wanted to recruit before the transfer window closed last month.

Obita provides an attacking option at left back, while he can also play further up the flank.

His time at Reading was held up by a knee injury which took three operations to solve, wiping out two seasons.

But Obita returned last term to make 26 appearances - 18 of which were starts - and featured regularly after the first lockdown in the summer.

Part of the delay in getting the deal done was down to United doing all they could to test his fitness.

Robinson said: "You can only judge over the last 12 months and it seems to be he’s got over it.

"He’s put in some really good performances, even after the lockdown. It’s not like you’re getting someone who hasn’t played for a long period.

"He had a large part to play in winning some of the games he played in recent months. It’s not that much of a risk for me.

"He’s a top-quality player at this level and adds tremendous strength-in-depth as well."