COLCHESTER United head coach Danny Cowley would like to bring in two new centre-backs ahead of the new League Two season.

The U’s boss would also like to add another centre midfielder to his squad, as the big kick-off looms closer.

Colchester have already brought in eight new signings this summer, with Lyle Taylor, Jack Payne, Rob Hunt, Harry Anderson, Matt Macey, Alex Woodyard, Ben Goodliffe and JK Gordon all arriving.

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However, Cowley would like to add further new faces, with the potential new midfield signing linked to the ongoing situation with Noah Chilvers, who is yet to sign the new contract offered to him by the club.

Cowley said: “We’re definitely still short.

“We definitely need to add a centre-half for sure – we’d like to bring potentially two centre-halves in.

“We also definitely need another centre midfielder.

“We’ll wait to see how the Noah situation unfolds, we’re pretty chilled with that.”

(Image: RICHARD BLAXALL)

Cowley says Colchester are also aiming to bolster their under-21 options, in the coming weeks.

“We’re definitely looking to add three or four younger ones,” added Cowley.

“Our under-21 age group has been decimated, only for good reasons.

“Samson (Tovide) and Bradley (Ihionvien) are playing in the first team, Jayden Fevrier has gone, Junior (Tchamadeu) we sold to Stoke and we still have young Frankie (Terry) and Oscar (Thorn).

“If we can one or two to that area, then that would be really good.

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“We love to have young players in the building and it’s so exciting for Nicky and I to be able to come here every day and work with young players.”

Meanwhile, Cowley has reiterated that there are likely to be more first-team departures over the coming weeks.

The likes of John Akinde, Tom Dallison and Chay Cooper have all been released since last season but the U’s boss says more could follow in leaving the club.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

Cowley added: “There will be people in the building who at some stage will move on as well, because we have to make sure that we want competition for places, absolutely but we want to find a really nice healthy balance.

“We like to be lean and mean and somewhere around 18 senior players and then the rest, supported with our young players.”