Colchester United will assess over the next 48 hours whether or not striker Kurtis Guthrie will be available for selection against Barnet on Saturday.

Guthrie has sat out the U's last two matches after suffering an ankle injury in their 1-1 draw at Carlisle United, earlier this month.

The 24-year-old has managed only five league starts for Colchester since returning from a long-term ankle injury at the end of last year and head coach John McGreal says he will leave it late to assess his fitness, ahead of the League Two clash with the Bees.

McGreal said: “We’re continually assessing Kurtis’s ankle.

“He’s getting better with it and there’s another 48 hours until the game."

Colchester have been boosted by the news that midfielder Doug Loft has joined in with training this week, following his calf and back problems.

Wing-back Kane Vincent-Young, who missed the defeat at Crewe Alexandra last weekend, has trained throughout the week and is likely to be available for the Barnet game while leading scorer Sammie Szmodics will be assessed, following his back problem.

Colchester, who lie five points off the play-off places, are looking for a victory to put pressure on the teams above them in League Two.