DERICK Osei hopes his early goalscoring form for Oxford United is a sign of things to come.

The French winger, who turned 22 yesterday, found the net four times in pre-season, before notching against Chelsea Under 21s in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.

While the youngster is seen as one for the future, those goals will have done no harm to his chances of gaining more first-team opportunities.

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Osei was pleased to get on the scoresheet on his first competitive start, but knows it is just the beginning.

“I’m very happy with it, but I need to keep going,” he said.

“It’s important for a striker to score goals for your confidence.

“When you come into a good team like this you have to show your teammates what you can do.”

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Osei joined United last month, arriving from French top division side Stade Brestois 29 on a two-year deal.

Although he is most comfortable on the left wing, U’s boss Karl Robinson used some of the game against Chelsea to try him out down the middle.

His goal came from a central position, as he timed his run to meet Mark Sykes’ through-ball and finish confidently.

Robinson is keen to get another left winger in, with Joel Cooper expected to start Saturday’s Sky Bet League One opener at Lincoln City.

Osei is willing to be patient – and will continue to learn in the meantime.

He said: “In the team you have to have good players in each position, so it’s not a problem for me if we have two left wingers.

“I look at the attitude of the other players and try to progress every day.”