Josh Thompson is set to return to training for Colchester United after shaking off a knee injury.

The U's had feared that the tall centre-back might miss the start of the new League One season, after he picked up the injury in the opening few days of pre-season.

But Thompson is now ready to play a part in Colchester's pre-season preparations and could figure in their friendly at Conference Premier side Braintree Town, this Saturday.

U's boss Joe Dunne said: “We’ve had a bit of positive news about Josh.

“He might not be out for as long as we had first thought.

“We hope he’ll be back training again this week.

“The scan didn’t show up any major damage in there and all of the swelling has moved away.

“It’s great news and it’s a positive for us, because it looked bleak only a couple of days ago."

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