NEW loan capture Ben Knight is available for Crewe's League One trip to Oxford United tomorrow night.

A season-long loan deal has been struck with Manchester City for the talented 19-year-old attacker who has been a regular in the Premiership club's under-23 team.

Knight has been targeted to boost a frontline losing Charlie Kirk to Charlton last Thursday and is still not safe from potential suitors firming up whether they can wrestle Owen Dale from Crewe's grasp.

Knight, an exciting dribbler, usually plays out wide, but he took a central striking role for an impressive pre-season outing in senior company, impressing Pep Guardiola with a goal in a 4-0 win over Barnsley a fortnight ago.

It helped secure the teenager his first senior action as a substitute in the Community Shield at Wembley against Leicester a week later.

After the pre-season game Knight - whose skill on the ball is evident in the above YouTube video - told the Manchester Evening News: "It was something different. I haven't played as a No.9 loads; I am more of a midfielder or a winger. But if Pep is asking me to play there I am not going to say no."

Knight, who hails from Cambridge, joined City from Ipswich Town in 2018 and has secured selection for England under-17s and under-18s.

The Oxford clash (KO 7.45pm) has added spice, not only as the Alex seek to redress a hefty 6-0 battering in April at the hands of the Us - their worst home defeat in 48 years - but also last season's fall-out from the corresponding fixture which made waves amid football's closely-monitored coronavirus regime.

The game was postponed twice after positive Covid-19 tests within the Crewe camp, which triggered a furious war of words between Oxford boss Karl Robinson and his counterpart Artell.

The Crewe manager said: "It will be a tough game, like last year. Oxford have got a good team, they've got big players with a big budget. They have got an experienced manager.

"We've got to make sure we match their quality and endeavour."

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