LIAM Kelly has revealed Rob Dickie was instrumental in securing his loan move to Oxford United.

The midfielder yesterday completed a move for the rest of the season from Feyenoord in the Netherlands.

Kelly is only a few months older than Dickie and the pair came through Reading's youth set-up together, along with fellow teammate Tariqe Fosu.

They all live near each other and have remained in close contact, which proved vital for the U's.

Kelly said: "I’ve known Rob and Tariqe quite a while and we still keep in contact.

"We were speaking about my situation in Holland, where I wasn’t really playing.

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"I spoke to Rob about wanting to getting back and getting some game time.

"He mentioned it to the manager here and it got going through that.

"Rob’s a top player, I’ve known that for a while and it’s showing this season.

"It’s very easy to come to a club where you know people. Rob has a big influence here at the moment, so it’s very easy."

That link put United to the front of the queue, despite not putting in the highest offer.

Boss Karl Robinson said: "We knew we were going to be in a battle for him.

"This is a very low level loan financially. That will raise eyebrows, but we were the lowest bid that went in.

"It was more about the player’s determination to come and play here."