GARY Rowett was impressed with what he saw from Stan Mills as the winger made a first senior appearance for more than 13 months following a long-term knee injury.
The 21-year-old winger rejoined Oxford United towards the end of the January transfer window, moving from Everton for an undisclosed fee.
Mills initially joined United from the Toffees on a season-long loan in July 2023, but a serious knee injury suffered in the Emirates FA Cup defeat at Coventry City in January 2024 saw the wide player return to his parent club.
He returned to first team training with the Toffees in December, and last month marked his comeback by scoring a penalty as Everton Under-21s were beaten 3-1 against Leeds United.
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Mills secured his first U’s appearance for more than a year when he replaced Przemyslaw Placheta with 25 minutes to go in the goalless draw at Derby County.
United head coach Rowett said: “He’s a young lad and it’s nice for him to feel what it’s like again to get back out there. You could see the potential, you could see athletically the potential.
“You could see his crossing ability as well. When he sees that space behind the defenders, he’s very good at feeding it with a little bit of pace, and the more we work, the more we’ll be able to try and anticipate and read those and make more movements into the box. I thought there were some good moments.”
