Oxford United have signed 21-year-old defender Ryan James after watching him play and train with the Nike Academy.

The left-footed centre back played in the Conference for Grays Athletic in the 2009-10 season, and U’s boss Chris Wilder describes him as a player of great promise.

The Nike Academy was set up to give a second chance to promising young players who had been released by their clubs or who somehow slipped through the net.

Originally signed by QPR at the age of eight, James represented the west London club’s youth team as well as Millwall’s youth team.

The Londoner has agreed a six-month contract with the U’s after impressing them while at the Nike Academy.

He is the sixth player from the academy to have been offered a contract by a League club.

He said: “I’m really delighted to be here at Oxford United and to have been offered the chance to join the squad.

“I’m very excited about the future and can hopefully break into the team and prove what I can offer.

“I know Oxford are an ambitious club and I want to be part of the future.

“I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

U’s boss Wilder said: “We were after a young, left-footed, centre half.

“With a lot of teams we face playing one up front, it’s important to have that right-foot, left-foot balance in central defence.

“We think that Ryan is an up-and-coming player who has a lot of promise.

“We’re bringing him in for six months and with a little bit of coaching and playing in our reserves a bit, we can see him really developing.

“He has real good attributes – with his physique and he’s a fine athlete, and he’s got a real hammer of a left foot.

“And as well as that, a lot of players get knocked back earlier in their careers – he was at QPR and Millwall and that happens – and then they are a little more hungry than some players who have had had an easier ride the whole time.”