Colchester United head coach John McGreal has said that both Sammie Szmodics and Lewis Kinsella are on the comeback trail from their respective ankle problems.

Following a week of negative injury news for the club, with Denny Johnstone and Frankie Kent sidelined for the rest of the campaign, it will come as a boost for McGreal.

Szmodics has been out since having surgery to rectify an ankle problem at the start of January, while Kinsella has been out of first-team action since October with an ankle injury of his own.

However, McGreal has confirmed that both have returned to first-team training as they step up their rehabilitations.

Kinsella has already featured a number of times for Wayne Brown's under-23 side recently and McGreal said both would be involved with the development squad for their Premier League Cup tie at Derby county on Monday.

However, the head coach also confirmed that Doug Loft and Jermaine Grandison were still not back in training.

He said: "Sammie Szmodics has trained with us this week so that's coming on nicely and he'll be in and around the under-23s on Monday, along with (Lewis) Kinsella, when it will probably be his last time with the 23s because he has trained with us as well.

"Lofty (Doug Loft) is still in the treatment room, though and so is Jermaine Grandison."

The U's first-team host Hartlepool United at the Weston Homes Community Stadium in League Two on Saturday and McGreal added that Craig Slater is being assessed ahead of the game to check on a groin problem.

He also said that striker Macauley Bonne may be heading back to the club after a loan spell at National League side Woking.

With Johnstone out for the rest of the season with a knee injury and McGreal's squad stretched at the moment, Bonne may be required back with his parent club.

"We have looked into it and this is Macauley's last week on loan," said McGreal.

"It's a minimum of 28 days and this is his last game coming up on Saturday (at Forest Green Rovers) so we'll review it after that."