Colchester United boss Tony Humes is aiming to sign as many as six experienced players on permanent deals this summer.

The U’s have a host of talented academy players who have shone in League One, this season.

But Humes is keen to add several more established personnel to his first-team squad to help the youngsters, for the 2015-16 campaign.

Humes said: “The aim is to bring four, five or six experienced players who’ll make us more solid.

“With the players that have left earlier in the season or the players who are out of contract, we have scope to bring in around that number.

“But they have to be the right kind of characters who’ll accept that responsibility within the squad.

“Ideally, we want permanent signings - we don’t want to lurch from player to player and using so many loans.

“Hopefully, we can bring in the right characters but if the young players are good enough, then they’ll play."

For more on this story and three pages of U's news, including interviews with Tony Humes, David Fox and Chris Porter, see Friday's Daily Gazette.