MICHAEL Appleton says finding a permanent solution to the training ground is the most important issue facing Oxford United from a first-team perspective.

Buying the Kassam Stadium has been an ongoing issue for years, but there is now uncertainty over where the team train.

The U’s are due to be turfed off their site at Roman Way in December, with sites at Horspath and Oxford City suggested as possible venues from 2018.

Appleton will not get involved in the planning until a location is agreed and it comes to the specifics of what his squad require.

But the head coach is adamant that for him, the coaching staff and his players, the amount of time spent at the training ground means it is the priority.

“It’s massive,” he said.

“From our point of view we work with what we’ve got here (at Roman Way) and we spent a lot of time before the start of last season on the culture of the club and the environment that we work in.

“The reality is – and I mean this with the greatest of respect – but it’s one thing having a fantastic stadium which is more than suitable for the league you’re playing in.

“But as professional footballers and coaches you spend close to 90 per cent of your time at your training ground.

“You only really use your stadium about 25 times a year.

“If you’re lucky you can get on your pitch (to train) another dozen or so times, because if you do any more you’ll probably wreck it.

“With the style of football we play we certainly don’t want to do that.

“We spend the best part of eight hours here most days, so if that is the case then it is the single most important part of any club.”

And Appleton admits things would be very different if United owned their own infrastructure.

He said: “If we had our own stadium and training ground, there’s no end to the potential of what this club could be.

“The reality is we are in a very different world – we don’t own our stadium or training ground.

“We have to find a solution somehow, it’s just a matter of finding the best one.”