OXFORD United are looking at players from as far afield as Scandinavia in a bid to continue their knack of unearthing talent in the transfer market.

The side’s success in the last two seasons has been built on a recruitment department which has delivered far more hits than misses in the transfer market.

They have come from a variety of sources, but head coach Michael Appleton believes their strike rate has caught the attention of other clubs, meaning they have to keep refining the process.

He said: “People are looking at what we’re doing and why we’ve been successful.

“They start fishing in the same ponds and you have to be a bit cleverer.

“You build relationships with certain clubs, agents and scouts who have an indication of players who are doing really well.

“Whether that’s Premier League teams, under 23 teams, clubs in Scotland, Scandinavia, Portugal, Spain, we’re just trying – at our level of football – to stay in front.

“We won’t have a recruitment budget of the size the top-six clubs in this league will have, but hopefully what we will have is people in place who are trying to stay one step ahead.

“Hopefully the work we’ve been putting in behind the scenes this year will come to fruition and one or two players we do sign over the next week or two will prove that.”

On top of using their existing contacts, United are also broadening their horizons.

Appleton said: “We’re always spreading our net and we never stop looking.

“There are players out there, certainly in Scandinavia, that definitely in terms of the physical side of it will be able to cope with the lower leagues of English football.

“You have to trust scouts to be consistent on three or four occasions with games we watch.

“Then one of the senior staff will go and watch them. If it needs a seal of approval I will be the one who goes to do that.”

While they are looking abroad, United also appear to still have a focus on Scotland.

Last summer they paid fees to Motherwell and Dundee for Marvin Johnson and Kane Hemmings respectively.

Now they have been strongly linked with a move for Liam Lindsay at Partick Thistle.

The defender ticks a lot of boxes for United – he is a left-sided centre half who has made great strides this season, but at 21 there is still plenty of room for development.

A move to England is also believed to appeal to a player with ambitions to break into the Scotland international side.

Reports north of the border claim United have made a bid, but it is some way short of Partick’s valuation.

Charlton Athletic and Bolton Wanderers have also been linked.