The 23-year-old centre back is heading back to Kassam Stadium after 10 outings with the Pirates — his last cameo came during the 1-0 defeat against Port Vale in the FA Cup.
He is one of five loanees at Bristol City returning to their parent clubs, along with Joel Cotterill, Kacper Lopata, Alfie Chang, and Freddie Issaka.
A statement issued by Oxford United said: “Stephan Negru has been recalled from his loan at Bristol Rovers.
“Stephan departs Rovers having made 10 appearances in all competitions. Welcome back, Steph.”
Fans reacted with delight, with Sue Davies saying: “I hope we keep him.”
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Negru joined Bristol Rovers in September but arrived with a double hernia that prevented him from playing until October.
Speaking about his injury, Negru said: “I love playing football, so it’s been a tough and long road for me.
“This injury has been a complicated one, but I’m happy that I have got through it now and I can enjoy playing football and do what I love.”
Negru was born in Dublin, Ireland, but holds Moldovan heritage, meaning he is eligible to play for both international teams.
He began his football career at Lourdes Celtic in 2017 before making his professional debut with Shelbourne in the Ireland Premier Division in 2022 with Damien Duff’s team.
Duff placed a huge emphasis on defensive discipline and placed a lot of faith in Stephan Negru, showing the potential he saw in the young player.
In 2023, he was signed to Oxford United, playing his debut for the team in April 2023. So far, he has played 21 times for the club across all competitions.
His last appearance for United came in the 2-1 defeat at home to Leyton Orient in February 2025 before he was loaned to Salford City in 2024 and then Bristol Rovers in 2025.
Negru has been described as an aggressive player with a strong old-school style.
He played under Gavin Peers, his coach at Shelbourne’s Under-19s, who was similarly old-school in his approach.
He says his hero is John Terry and that’s the type of defender that he is trying to model his game on.
Irish Daily Star reporter Mark McCadden said: “Among his strengths are his physicality. He made his league debut in a very tough environment – away to Finn Harps. But he held his own against a very physical team. He is good in the air and in the tackle.
“He admits himself that when it comes to the technical side of the game, he needs to improve. Issues such as concentration over 90 minutes will come with age.”
This is the third loan recall for Oxford United this season after Jordan Thorniley and James Golding.
Jordan Thorniley returned to United after being loaned out to Northampton Town, where he will continue his rehabilitation from injury.
He joined Northampton in the summer and made 22 appearances before his injury.
It was announced on Monday that Thorniley has returned to United after being loaned out to Northampton Town.
Meanwhile, injured defender James Golding was recalled last week from his loan spell at Crewe Alexandra.