Former England under-19s international Rob Dickie has been a big part of Oxford United’s impressive season as Karl Robinson’s men are up into the play-off positions.
Dickie joined Reading as a nine-year-old came through the club’s academy, went out on loan to Basingstoke, Cheltenham and Lincoln before joining Oxford in January 2018.
Coming up through the lower leagues has helped him play a lot of games - an impressive 160 appearances by the time he was 23 - and has matured into a dominant, ball-playing centre half. A few big-name players have benefitted from working their way up.
Dickie has also caught the eye of Premier League scouts this season during their run of form in League One and also reaching the Carabao Cup quarter finals where they have clinched a tie with Manchester City .
Dickie’s statistics are impressive - 86.17 per cent pass accuracy, three assists and nine clean sheets in 19 starts - and his ability on the ball is key to his game.
He is a composed, ball-playing centre half who enjoys bringing the ball out of defence and he reads danger very well.
What he says...
“It’s important to get out and play,” he said.
“It’s a great grounding, you take all those experiences from the clubs and try to learn from everything and improve as a player.”
He could be the next...
Harry Maguire.
Came up through the divisions, has a powerful physique and is 6ft 3in as well as being very comfortable on the ball.
