SHANDON Baptiste has agreed to a new Oxford United contract which will keep him at the club until 2019.

Manager Pep Clotet expects the formalities to be completed shortly by a player who made his first team debut against Stevenage in August.

The 19-year-old was given a six-month contract in the summer to prove himself after a shoulder injury wiped out most of last season.

And Baptiste, who also made his senior international debut for Grenada in October, has proved himself.

Clotet, the U’s boss, said: “We have agreed with Shandon, so it’s only a matter of time to put it on paper.

“I like his intensity and technique level.

“He’s a very flexible midfielder and he has (good) physical attributes.

“He has the right mentality and a will to improve. Going forward I think he’s going to be a player.”

United have tied down fellow teenager Malachi Napa, plus Josh Ruffels, to longer deals in recent weeks.

Talks are ongoing with other players whose contracts expire next summer, as Clotet looks for long-term stability.

He said: “I want to get away from the situation I found when I came here in the summer.

“There were not many players left and from the ones we had only five or six were regulars last season.

“I don’t want the club to get into a new season and I leave the team with 12 players.

“That’s why for me it was important to do (contracts for) Ruffels and the young players.

“It’s normal in the summer that you always look for something, but the core of the squad – 15, 16, 17 players – must be tied up.

“This club can't go into a new season all the time in need of recruiting 12 players, because for me that’s gambling.”