Oxford United’s young goalkeeper Max Crocombe has been called up to join New Zealand’s Under-20 World Cup squad this summer. The 19 year-old youth graduate has been included in his country’s extended 26-man squad for the finals in Turkey this June.

Having won the Golden Glove Award for the All-Whites in their qualifying campaign in Fiji, Crocombe will be hoping to force his way into the final 21-man shortlist to join up with the rest of the squad this summer. They are due to play Australia in a warm-up match prior to the tournament in Sydney, before setting of to Turkey the next day.

The Kiwis will then play two further warm-up matches before starting their group games against Uzbekistan, Uruguay and Croatia in late June. Crocombe made his international debut in March for the All-Whites, before returning to the Kassam Stadium to keep an impressive three consecutive clean sheets in Oxford’s last run-in of the league campaign.

Max was delighted to be included in his country’s selection: “It’s obviously a great honour to be in the extended squad and I’m very excited at the prospect of being in the final squad. I know that I will have to be really focussed on my game and enjoy it because once it’s over it will be a great memory.

“The Fiji qualifying tournament went by so quickly and I’m sure this will be just the same, but if I’m selected it will be a great experience and I’m really looking forward to it”.

Meanwhile in other news, the club have revealed two pre-season fixtures ahead of the new league season in August. United will hosts both Lee Clark’s Birmingham City on Saturday 20th July, and Division Three side Coventry City on Saturday 27th July. Tickets will go on sale closer towards the match dates, some great preparation for Oxford’s new campaign which starts on August 3rd.