ALEX Gorrin has left Oxford United for Sky Bet League Two strugglers Forest Green Rovers.

The 30-year-old signed a short-term contract with the U’s in October, while fellow midfielder Cameron Brannagan was unavailable due to illness, and has played four times in his second spell with the club.

In effect though, Gorrin was never really away, having been invited to remain with United after his contract expired in the summer, in order to continue his rehabilitation following a serious knee injury.

He suffered the injury during training in December 2022, while he also missed a large chunk of the 2021/22 campaign after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury to his other knee during an Emirates FA Cup tie against Bristol Rovers in November 2021.

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Gorrin made his return from his second knee injury at the end of October, appearing as a substitute as the U’s lost 2-0 at Wigan Athletic.

He then featured in the EFL Trophy games against Chelsea Under-21s and his new club Forest Green, with his final United appearance coming as a late substitute in the New Year’s Day win at Charlton Athletic.

U’s head coach Des Buckingham said: “I had the pleasure of working with Alex in Wellington for three and a half years. He messaged me before he came to Oxford, to ask about the club, and I told him what I thought.

“It was great to see him sign and contribute as heavily as he has done.

“It’s devastating to see the injuries he’s picked up, but the club put out a bit of a lifeline to him and got him back in this season, and allowed him to rehab and get himself back up to speed.

“He’s done that extremely well. We had him contracted until the 20th January, and he’s been made a good offer from Forest Green, and it’s an excellent decision for him to go and get game time.”

In total, Gorrin made 118 appearances across all competitions for United, scoring on three occasions.

He was a key player during his first two seasons with the club, playing 44 times, including starts in the League One play-off semi-finals and final during the 2019/20 campaign, before adding another 40 games under his belt the following year.

Forest Green are second from bottom in League Two, six points adrift of safety.