MARCUS McGuane is set to make an important step in his return to full fitness tomorrow.

The Oxford United midfielder is expected to feature against Tottenham Hotspur Under 21s in the Papa John’s Trophy, in what would be his first appearance for two months.

McGuane has had a tough time since coming off at half-time of the U’s 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Queens Park Rangers on August 24.

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The 22-year-old was ruled out for September with another thigh injury, before testing positive for coronavirus at the start of this month.

The former Arsenal and Barcelona youngster also had to isolate in between when his partner fell ill.

He is set to be involved at the Kassam Stadium tomorrow and United assistant manager Craig Short explained why it will serve McGuane well.

“Marcus hasn’t got going yet, but he was a valuable part of our team last year,” he said.

“He’s one of those players who does a lot of running with the ball and driving up the pitch.

“There’s a lot of output physically, which you can never really replicate in training.

“When we played against QPR, after 45 minutes his stats were so high because he was doing so much box-to-box stuff.

“Marcus definitely needs games, he’s a huge talent and a powerhouse.

“In the modern game they’re athletes and he’s certainly one of those.”