OXFORD United chief executive Tim Williams has confirmed the length of Des Buckingham’s deal with Oxford United.

The club announced Buckingham as their new head coach yesterday, marking a homecoming for the Oxford-born boss.

United’s statement said Buckingham had been appointed on a ‘long-term contract’, with Williams now revealing just how long that deal is.

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He told this newspaper at a press conference earlier this afternoon: “The contract we have with Des is a three-and-a-half-year contract.

“What we wanted to do was show that we knew the kind of person we were looking for, and we wanted to make sure there was commitment both sides.

“This is a long-term project and something where we want Des to be here and succeed for as long as possible, and therefore we wanted to show that long-term commitment in terms of a three-and-a-half-year deal.”

Williams also confirmed that former head coach Liam Manning was on a rolling contract with the U’s prior to his departure last week to Sky Bet Championship side Bristol City.

“The contract with Liam was a rolling contract, which I think was widely reported,” said Williams.