Max O'Leary was not part of Bristol City's squad to face Oxford United, as Manchester United loanee Radek Vitek returned from injury
07:00, 18 Jan 2026
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Bristol City goalkeeper Max O'Leary in action for the Robins(Image: EFL)
Bristol City will give Max O'Leary "freedom" to see what is possible for him on the transfer market, Gerhard Struber has confirmed, whilst shedding some further light on the goalkeeper's absence from the Robins' matchday squad against Oxford United.
O'Leary was not named in either the Reds' starting line-up or on the bench at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday afternoon as City held the U's to a 0-0 draw. In his absence, Radek Vitek returned between the posts, while both Joe Lumley and Lewis Thomas featured amongst the substitutes.
In the absence of Vitek over the course of the last few weeks, O'Leary had started each of the Robins' last five league games, prior to this weekend. Before the Manchester United loanee's injury, however, the Ireland international had been Struber's second-choice stopper.
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With Vitek now once again fit and available, O'Leary's minutes are likely to become limited once more. Having been a regular fixture of a team that secured a play-off place last year, the 29-year-old is keen to play regular football, and will therefore be allowed to explore his options away from south Bristol this month.
"We are about that always in a good exchange," the head coach explained to Bristol Live on Saturday evening. "He knows that Radek is, at the moment, the number one.
"He is, of course, with his last season and with his performance, he knows that he normally is a Championship goalkeeper with game time, and he's not happy with that, that he's in the end the number two here.
"In this direction, we will give him a little bit of freedom to show what is possible, maybe on the market for him. On the same time, nothing is clear at the moment.
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"When [if] Max decides to stay, we have - in the end - again, a really strong goalkeeping team with him."
On his return to the fold, following a minor procedure on a knee injury, Vitek was solid between the posts for the Robins on an otherwise frustrating afternoon for Struber's side.
Despite coming into Saturday's clash with Oxford as the favourites, City were unable to get a foothold in the game against Matt Bloomfield's side. The Reds' only real chance came midway through the first half, when Scott Twine was unable to find the top corner with a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area.
At the other end, however, the U's had ample chances to claim all three points. Fortunately for the travelling supporters who had sold out the away end, Vitek was twice on hand to deny Stanley Mills. First the goalkeeper got down quickly to deny the 22-year-old from a corner, before he later turned wide of the post when faced with the winger one-on-one.
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Although the rest of the Robins' display left more than a little bit desired, in the eyes fans and staff alike, the Czech stopper looked as though he had never been away, much to the delight of his head coach.
"Radek is back; Radek showed us again a very reliable [performance]," Struber said. "Decisions, his personal behaviours were on a really good level, so, of course, we are happy with him.
"I am also happy with how we defend our box. In the end, it's a nil, and this is also something, especially when you have a performance on this level - that you jump out with a point.
"But, our standard, our expectation is completely different, and the performance today was not on this level that we expect."
OPINION
Daniel Carter
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