Phil Parkinson insists Greg Halford is mature enough not to let speculation go to his head - despite rumoured interest in him from Manchester United.
And the Colchester United boss believes his young protege will prove just that in tomorrow's FA Cup second-round clash at Shrewsbury Town.
Parkinson feels Layer Road's bright young star, who will be 21 next week, is mature enough to deal with rumours surrounding him and will carry on playing at the standard that has turned so many heads recently.
He said: "Greg has in the past let speculation affect him, which is natural for a young player.
"However, he's not going to let the same thing happen again.
"His attitude and his game have come on since rumours first started coming out.
"We've been here before, but now he's a lot older and he's got 100 games under his belt.
"He knows what he has to do, and that's work hard and play well."
Parkinson's charges head to Coca-Cola League Two outfit Shrewsbury tomorrow, aiming to carry on from their tremendous 5-0 victory over Gillingham last Saturday.
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Published Friday, December 2, 2005
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