JAY Mingi has revealed he was aware of Stockport County's interest in him after their game at Colchester United in early April.

Mingi impressed for the U's in their 2-1 home defeat to the newly-crowned League Two champions, leading to the Hatters to later pursue his signing.

Mingi has joined Stockport on a three-year deal from Colchester, for an undisclosed fee.

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Mingi told the Stockport County website: "It came about after we played you lot towards the end of this last season.

"I had a really good game there and from there, I knew the interest was there.

"It's good to get it done early and I need a pre-season, as last year I didn't have one.

"It feel amazing.

"I know what I'm getting myself into playing against you lot and it's a product that I'm looking forward to.

 

"When we played you, the atmosphere in the ground was amazing and it set the precedent for the day.

"Stockport are a great team and they played us off the park that day and even at Colchester, they did really well there as well and you could see what the team's about.

"I'm looking forward to working with (Dave Challinor) so much.

"I'm someone who really wants to learn and improve myself daily, so I feel like this is the right manager to help me do that.

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"I want to be consistently playing no matter the position and for the team, marking ourselves in the league and letting everyone know that Stockport are coming for everything."

Mingi flourished in a defensive role for Colchester in the final weeks of the season, helping the U’s secure their League Two status under Danny and Nicky Cowley.

The 23-year-old started each of Colchester’s final 11 matches and was outstanding, consistently producing impressive performances to help the club stay up.

Gazette:

"The team was in a struggling state and needed everyone to step up," said former Portsmouth and Charlton Athletic player Mingi.

"They gave me the platform to be able to show it myself.

"I really enjoyed (playing in defence) more than I thought I would, because in midfield you kind of get all the glory!

"It's a different position and I was sort of learning on the go - I feel like I learned a lot there and had fun, so it was good."

Mingi has sent a message to Colchester and their supporters on social media, following his departure from the club.

 

Writing on X, he said: 'Just wanna say thank you to everyone who showed me love and supported me whilst I was here. I met some great people along the way, big shoutout to the fans. I wish @ColU_Official nothing but the best going forward. Big love always'.