Gillingham will see how Gabriel Zakuani is feeling before naming their squad for Oxford.

Zakuani has been away on international duty with the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was an unused substitute on Tuesday night when his country’s hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup took a blow as they were held to a 2-2 home draw by Tunisia, despite leading 2-0.

The defender is back in the country for Gillingham’s trip to the Kassam Stadium on Saturday but may not feature.

Coach Steve Lovell said: “Zakuani’s back for the weekend but whether he’s involved in the squad is another thing, because of the travelling he’s done but hopefully he’ll be fit enough to be involved.

“He’s a leader. He’s a good lad, he’s been brilliant for us since he’s been here.

“We haven’t conceded that many goals, apart from the 3-3 against Southend, which he played in. But the other boys have come in and done a good turn without him, so we do have replacements.”

Fellow centre-half Max Ehmer is in light training after a back injury ruled him out last weekend but remains a doubt.

Striker Josh Parker is pushing for a start after two goals in as many games but Lovell is giving nothing away as Gills prepare to face ninth-placed Oxford.

He said: “It’s something we’ve got to look at for the weekend but ultimately we’ve got to look at a team that’s going to go out and beat Oxford.

“The way they play, we’ve got to set up in a way that will allow us to go at them and try and cause them problems.

“Everyone’s got a chance of being involved because anything could happen between now and then.

“Everybody we’ve got has a claim to be in the team, they’ve got to be aware of that and they’ve got to be ready if they’re called on.”