DES Buckingham has outlined the options available to him with Elliott Moore suspended for Oxford United’s next match.

The U’s head to Sheffield United on Tuesday night without their skipper, who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in yesterday’s 6-2 mauling at the hands of Middlesbrough.

Ben Nelson faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a quad injury, but Jordan Thorniley could feature for the first time in Sky Bet Championship this season having recovered from an ankle problem.

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United head coach Buckingham said: “Elliott’s out, so he won’t make the trip, but you’ve seen Sam Long step in, and we’ve got Jordan Thorniley who should be available for Tuesday, so potentially coming back into the squad as well, so we’ve got some cover there.

“It’s just the reality of the league. We’ve played 16 games now, and if players pick up five yellow cards, they’re suspended for one.

“We’ve got Elliott who was on that threshold, and Peter Kioso is also on that threshold, and that’s just something else we have to deal with.”

Providing an update on Kioso, who was unavailable against Boro after falling ill while on international duty with DR Congo, Buckingham said: “We’re just waiting on some tests for a couple of things, just to make sure he is clear and everything’s good.

“We’re fully expecting for that to be the case, and if they come back good, he should be able to train on Monday, which puts him into contention for the squad on Tuesday.”