SHANDON Baptiste has been hailed as a “multi-million pound” midfielder by Oxford United boss Karl Robinson.

The 21-year-old netted the winner five minutes from time as Oxford United hit back to beat Norwich City Under 21s in the Leasing.com Trophy.

Baptiste, who built on Cameron Brannagan’s equaliser, dedicated the strike, his first at the Kassam Stadium, to the U’s medical staff who helped him back to fitness following knee surgery in January.

And Robinson believes the Grenada international, who played 90 minutes for the first time in 11 months, is the real deal.

The U’s boss said: “He’s a multi-million pound midfield player. I believe we have one of the prized assets outside the top levels.

READ MORE: United 2, Norwich U21 1

“I honestly believe if I was a scout or if any of us got a job tomorrow at a higher level he would be the one of the first people you’d come chasing. That’s how important he’s going to be to us.

“I said earlier in the summer Shandon would be the best signing we would make in this window.

“He has everything to be a top player – the power, the drive, the talent, the technique is there for all to see.”

A thrilled Baptiste was quick to remember those who had helped him in his seven-month recovery.

He said: “It was a great feeling, I’d only scored one other goal for the club and hopefully I can keep getting more for the team.

“It’s a tick in the box because it’s been a long time coming.

“The physio team, Nathan (Benjamin-Smith) and Amy (Cranston) have helped me a lot to get me to this point, so to finally produce it and score a goal was massive for me.

“I dedicate that goal to them – they’ve been there when I needed them.”

While they eventually came out on top, Robinson was unimpressed with United’s first-half display and sent them out early for the second half.

He said: “I was embarrassed in the first half, because of a lack of urgency in some of our play.

“It was either ‘go out now without me saying what I truly think, or stay in and get what I truly believe’.

“It wasn’t a case of me embarrassing them, the players wanted to get back out there and prove a point.

“We conceded a goal stupidly and then all of a sudden started playing.”