LIAM KELLY IS set to be available to assist Oxford United in their bid to gain promotion to the Championship.
Karl Robinson, the League One side’s manager, says the club are on the verge of agreeing to extend the creative midfielder’s loan from Feyenoord.
Kelly, who swapped Reading for Rotterdam last summer, joined Oxford from the Dutch giants on a temporary deal in January.
Having been sidelined with a hamstring injury before the season was postponed due to Covid-19, Kelly has returned from the lockdown period in impressive shape, Robinson told the Oxford Mail.
“We are about to agree an extension,” he said of the former Republic of Ireland underage star, who caught the eye in February by scoring a spectacular free-kick in Oxford’s FA Cup fourth-round clash with Newcastle United.
“If I took a picture of him now, people would ask who it was. He’s the Liam Kelly we saw at Reading. I’m desperate to keep him around the place if he keeps doing what he’s been doing. He’s some player.”
Things didn’t work out as planned for Kelly at Feyenoord, where he was signed by his former Reading boss Jaap Stam, who described him as “a technically sophisticated player with a lot of potential”.
He made two appearances under Stam before the former Manchester United defender resigned in October. Kelly didn’t feature at all under Stam’s successor, Dick Advocaat, and returned to England when the transfer window opened.
After signing for Feyenoord last July, Kelly said it would be “a great honour” if his performances for the club led to a senior call-up for Ireland.
Despite being born in England, Kelly represented Ireland up to U21 level. He qualifies through grandparents who hail from Mayo and Leitrim.
However, uncertainty emerged over his international allegiance in March 2018, when former Ireland boss Martin O’Neill claimed that Kelly was “keeping his options open” lest England declare their interest.
Kelly later provided a contrasting version of events, stating that “personal reasons” were behind his decision to decline a call-up to the senior squad for a friendly against Turkey.
Oxford United will travel to face Portsmouth in the first leg of their League One play-off semi-final on 3 July, before hosting Ireland international Ronan Curtis and his team-mates in the return leg three days later.
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