OXFORD United have ‘dealt with’ a suspected Covid breach by two academy players – but the outcome is staying in-house.

The U’s suspended the youngsters, one of whom is in the Under 21 squad and the other in the Under 18s, after they allegedly attended a New Year’s Eve party.

United investigated the incident, but managing director Niall McWilliams would not be drawn on the club’s decision.

He told BBC Radio Oxford’s Five Minute Fans Forum: “That’s confidential, it stays within the club.

“We take Covid regulations extremely seriously and we talk to players and staff about that a great deal.”

Karl Robinson: Oxford United are the first club to face up to Covid breach

United learned of the alleged breach on New Year’s Day, 72 hours before the news broke publicly, and academy manager Dan Harris felt they dealt with it swiftly.

He wrote on the U’s official website: “We want to create a culture based on a value system that shows a clear understanding of the responsibility that comes with the privilege of being a young player at Oxford United.

“Over the Christmas period two of our young players let themselves down with their decision-making and failed to show the level of respect for our club and indeed society as a whole that we would expect during these times.

“As a club, we have dealt with this situation efficiently and privately behind the scenes, but it is also important to recognise that young players do sometimes get things wrong.

“We have to ensure that our standards of conduct are adhered on a consistent basis but we also need to balance this against supporting young players as they learn what it means to become high quality men.”