Joe Dunne has played down talk of a rift with star player Anthony Wordsworth.

The talented playmaker was surprisingly left out of the U’s side for their Boxing Day defeat against Brentford.

Wordsworth did not train prior to the Bees clash but told his Twitter followers after the game that he was available for selection.

He wrote: “To everyone asking I am Fit and WANTED to play today.”

The midfielder was not even among the U’s substitutes for their game against the Bees but U's boss Dunne played down rumours of a disagreement with Wordsworth.

Dunne said: “Woody told me that he wanted to play, so he’s not saying anything on Twitter that I didn’t know about.

“It was my call not to play him and it was my decision based on what I saw earlier in the week."

See Friday's Gazette for more on this story and all of the latest Colchester United news, including a full preview of their game against Swindon Town tomorrow and an interview with new U's signing Jack Compton.