Oxford lost three key players in the close season, Kemar Roofe departing for Leeds for a club record of £3m, Callum O'Dowda (less expectedly) to Bristol City for around £1m, and striker Danny Hylton who declined a contract renewal offer and joined Luton Town in League Two.
United spent what was believed to be a club record fee to secure the services of winger Marvin Johnson from Motherwell, and the defence was bolstered by the arrival of Christian Ribeiro, Aaron Martin and Curtis Nelson.
Notable loanees from Premier League sides included Dan Crowley from Arsenal, Toni Martínez from West Ham and Conor McAleny from Everton.
[4] Maguire was the team's highest scorer with 17 goals in all competitions, with Hemmings chipping in with 15 and loanee McAleny scoring 10 in 18 League appearances in the second half of the season, including two hat-tricks.
[5] For the second year running, Oxford reached the final of the League Trophy at Wembley Stadium but finished runners-up in the competition, this time beaten 2–1 by Coventry City.