Bongani Khumalo says he is willing to throw everything into Colchester United’s battle to beat the drop.

And the 28-year-old centre-back is ready to put thoughts of his long-term football future on hold, in his bid to save the U’s from relegation.

Khumalo has joined Colchester on loan from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, until the end of the season.

The South Africa international made his U’s debut in their 2-0 win over Yeovil Town, on Tuesday night.

Khumalo is out of contract at Spurs at the end of the season and is unlikely to be offered a new deal.

But the defender says all he is focusing on in the short term is keeping Colchester in League One.

Khumalo said: “I’m always ready for a fight and a challenge.

“This is an opportunity that’s presented itself and I’m willing to take it with both hands.

“I want to play as many games as I can for Colchester and then we’ll look at the future.

“But the first priority is Colchester - we have targets here which we’ll be working hard towards.

“I believe everything else will fall into place after that.

“I’m very pleased to get the points and a clean sheet on my debut.

“I think we showed good desire and a good fighting spirit, which is what we’ll need for the last nine games.

“This club should stay in this division and the first thing I noticed when I came in was the good upbeat vibe and energy, which is important.

“There are still a good number of games and it’s still in our hands.

“It’s important to stay positive and just remember that it’s a game.

“We need to play the game and not the occasion - just play the game and go from there.”

Khumalo’s Colchester debut was his first competitive appearance since he suffered a serious knee injury playing for South Africa in their 5-0 friendly defeat against Brazil, last March.

The Swaziland-born defender, who has made 43 appearances for Bafana Bafana, has recently been captaining for Spurs’ under-21 side.

“There’s still a massive job to be done but it’s a performance to build on and get better,” added Khumalo, who spent time on loan at Doncaster Rovers last season.

“This was my first game and I had to get used to the rhythm of things but I felt better and better as the game went on.

“I’m looking forward to building on that and staying in the fight with everyone else.”

For all of the latest Colchester United news, including a three-page preview of their game against Gillingham and interviews with Tony Humes, Jacob Murphy and Rhys Healey, see Friday's Daily Gazette.