'Absolutely not' - Oxford's Ramsey on playing again

Aaron Ramsey took over as Oxford United boss in late June [Getty Images] Oxford United head coach Aaron Ramsey says that even if the club were allowed to register him as a player, there would "absolutely not" be a chance that he would consider helping the U's out on the pitch with his playing days "firmly finished". Oxford have been placed under a temporary transfer embargo by the English Football League, which is at least expected to last for the remainder of the summer transfer window. The club are unable to register new players in the current window because they are not compliant with the EFL's salary cost management protocol (SCMP) regulations. This is something that the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) have now started legal proceedings against the English Football League over. The 35-year-old Welshman retired from his playing days in April after leaving Mexican side Pumas UNAM last year and laughed away any suggestions that he might have put the boots back on again. "Absolutely not," Ramsey said. "I'm ready for this opportunity now, and my playing days are firmly finished, so I'm excited with this now. "It's been a really straightforward move [from playing to coaching] and one that I've been sort of building up for for the last few years with things going on off the field. "We can control what we can, and that's been our real focus is on this group of players, which is why I took this job in the first place. "I've seen the quality and what the potential of this group is, so for me nothing changes; we're fully committed and I'm just really excited to get stuck into the season now." Oxford start their League One campaign on Saturday with a home match against MK Dons at the Kassam Stadium before three away games on the spin against Stevenage, Huddersfield and Leicester City. Oxford and Ramsey remain confident that their restrictions in the transfer market will be lifted before the January window. Latest Oxford United news, analysis and fan views Listen to Oxford United content on BBC Sounds