That surprises me. I remember seeing Ricketts first start under Adkins in the last game of a season. He looked very good but I don't think that Adkins played him again.Underrated/dismissed by many as a youngster but eventually matured into a decent player
Just for information - Ricketts made 45 league apps for Oxford with 1 goal // prior to this season Long had made 18 apps, also with 1 goal
Part of the reason Long hasn't started many has been his injuries. He started against Sheffield Wednesday in a League Cup game a few seasons ago and was playing well but went off with a nasty injury.
I am not sure that he has been under rated. Just he hasn't played that often