IT dominates conversations across January, but the one group of people who are not talking about transfer speculation are the players themselves, according to Josh Ruffels.

So far this month Oxford United have signed three players, while Jack Payne has left after his loan was cut short.

In most jobs it would be unsettling to see colleagues depart overnight and replaced just as quickly, but most footballers are a different breed.

Ruffels said: “I’ve seen so many players come and go.

“You’ve just got to make sure players come in to replace them and we keep the squad strong.

“I didn’t know about Jack on Monday. He came in the gym to say his goodbyes and I thought ‘what’s going on here?’

“Fair play to him, I hope he does well because he was great for us.

“It’s part of the process, it just happens in a day or two.”

Ruffels has seen several key players depart for big-money moves in recent seasons.

He said: “There’s no animosity or anything like that.

“You just wish them all the best.

“It’s just football and if you’re going on to better your career then you can’t really be horrible to them.”

When it comes to players being linked to other clubs, you might think the dressing room is well-informed.

Not so, says Ruffels.

“If there’s something major that crops up, but not really,” the midfielder said.

“Unless it’s a certainty, someone is coming or going then it’s not really talked about.

“Rumours are rumours, so unless it comes from their mouth you don’t really listen to it.”

While Simon Eastwood and Ryan Ledson have attracted the most attention in the U’s squad this month, for the first time Ruffels has found himself as part of the rumour mill.

The midfielder from Kidlington, who has scored a career-best five goals this season, was supposedly on Millwall’s radar.

He said: “There’s nothing in that as far as I’m concerned.

“It’s nice to hear sometimes because I’ve never really had that.

“I’ve just got to keep my head down and try to play well.

“As long as I perform and I’m enjoying it then it comes I guess.

“That’s just football. I don’t really take much notice.”