When Oxford United signed a 21-year-old Joe Rothwell, he only had 10 senior appearances over two seasons to his name.

The midfielder had been at Manchester United’s academy since the age of six and signed his first professional contract for the club in the summer of 2013. Despite being in and around the first-team squad, Rothwell only featured on the bench once and never made his debut for the club.

The Englishman was sent out on loan to Blackpool, who were sitting bottom of the Championship at the time. He played three times for the Tangerines.

The following season, he was loaned out to Barnsley in League One on a six-month contract. He played seven times in those six months but failed to do enough to warrant a contract offer by the club’s standards.

Joe Rothwell’s two-year spell at Oxford

In the summer of 2016, Rothwell signed a two-year deal with Oxford and joined a team that had just been promoted to League One after finishing second the season before.

The U’s suffered big losses that summer in the form of Kemar Roofe, who Leeds signed for £3 million after winning League Two’s player of the year award. Oxford also lost Callum O’Dowda, who moved to Bristol City for a fee of at least £1 million, and main striker Danny Hylton, who turned down a contract renewal.

These players were a crucial part of Oxford’s attacking success the season before so the club were relying on new signings like Rothwell to come into the squad and make an impact.

In his two seasons at the Kassam, Rothwell played an important part for United. Considering the youngster had only played 10 senior games before signing for Oxford, playing 45 times in his first season was a massive step up.

Something had clearly clicked for Rothwell. Whether that was leaving Manchester United for good and removing the baggage that comes with being at such a big club, or whether it was to do with the manager and the system he was playing in. Whatever it was, it was working.

The midfielder only scored two goals, which was clearly something that needed improving, he was thriving in a box-to-box midfield role and doing plenty of defensive work.

Oxford made it to the EFL Trophy final for the second year in a row, which meant Rothwell was able to start for Oxford at Wembley Stadium but was unfortunately unable to help them avoid defeat at the hands of Coventry City.

Rothwell picked up where he left off the following season, making 41 appearances and scoring six goals for the Yellows.

Moving on to bigger and better things with Blackburn Rovers

It wasn’t long before bigger clubs than Oxford came sniffing around, as they always seem to do when lower-league teams develop a player that has gone under the radar for too long.

And in the summer of 2018, Rothwell signed a four-year contract with Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee.

He continued to be a reliable box-to-box midfielder and seemed to grow in physicality, as well as ability. He was a huge part of the Rovers side and played a big part in almost every game he was fit for during his time at the club. An impressive feat for someone with no real Championship experience when he signed.

The midfielder lasted the full length of his contract, playing 161 times for Rovers, an average of more than 40 games a season.

Making it to the Premier League

Rothwell’s next move saw him sign for Premier League side AFC Bournemouth at the end of his four-year deal at Blackburn.

At the age of 27, he made his Premier League debut, a landmark moment in anyone’s career, coming off the bench against South Coast rivals Southampton.

In his second season, Rothwell was still a regular part of the Bournemouth squad and started the first three games of the campaign. The midfielder finally managed to play at Old Trafford, against the team he was at his entire youth career.

Rothwell, however, hadn’t done quite enough in his first 18 months to become a big part of the Cherries’ midfield. Despite making 35 appearances, he only managed to score one goal.

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Southampton and Leeds United

Southampton agreed to take Rothwell on a six-month loan, in a bid to get them promoted back to the Premier League.

Three games after his debut, the Englishman scored two goals in as many minutes to help secure a fantastic 5-3 win for the Saints. After going 2-0 down, Rothwell’s quick double brought it back to 2-2 and changed the momentum of the game. His first would go on to win goal of the month.

Rothwell played in all but three games in his six-month spell at St Mary’s and achieved what he was brought in to help with, winning promotion back to the Premier League.

Unfortunately, his performances on the South Coast weren’t enough to convince the Saints to make a permanent move or Bournemouth to keep him in the Premier League, and in the summer of 2024, Leeds agreed to take Rothwell on a season-long loan.

Rothwell has played in every league game so far this season and started the last eight in a row.

The midfielder has shown incredible consistency in his career since making the move to Oxford. He already has 328 appearances to his name, averaging nearly 30 games a season since making his professional debut 11 seasons ago for Blackpool.

For a box-to-box midfielder, who relies on his athleticism and pace, his availability and consistency has been impressive – particularly given he’s pulled on a number of different shirts during that period.

He’s tallied up more than 250 EFL appearances and 31 in the Premier League in an impressive career that is certainly not done yet, and Oxford can take plenty of pride in spotting the potential in the Man United graduate.

It must be hugely satisfying for the club to see his career path since they picked him up and should provide inspiration for future deals.