COLCHESTER United manager Kevin Keen admits it may be difficult for the club to keep hold of their best players if they are relegated to League Two.

The U’s lie ten points adrift of safety with six games remaining and head to Blackpool desperate for points in their battle for survival.

Keen says he knows the players he wants to keep hold of next season, regardless of which division the club are playing in.

But the U’s boss has conceded that retaining contracted players like George Moncur, Gavin Massey and Owen Garvan may be difficult.

And first-team regulars such as Alex Gilbey, Tom Eastman and Joe Edwards are all set to become free agents, this summer.

Keen said: “I know which players I want to keep but to keep them and to keep them happy is a lot more difficult.

“There are players on contract who are very good players.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens throughout the summer.

“There are definitely players I want to keep, whether we’re in League One and pushing for a really good season next year or whether we’re in League Two.

“I can see a situation where players in contract will be sought after by other teams and players out of contract will have choices to make.

“There are going to be a lot exterior influences throughout the summer, depending on what league we’re in.

“I know exactly the players and sort of team I want to have but it’s very easy to sit here in an office and talk about it.

“To keep them and keep them happy is a lot more difficult.

“You have to take people’s careers into account and what they want to do with their careers, money and whether we’re in League One or League Two.

“That’s a question for nearer the end of the season.

“It’s all very well me saying who I want to keep, who I want to release and what targets I have.

“But until we know for definite which league we’re going to be in, it’s very difficult to be able to persuade players, not persuade players, the ones who are out of contract, which league do they want to play in, do they want to move elsewhere?

“All those things are very difficult and I think it’ll be an ongoing thing through the summer.

“It’s very difficult for me to say “I want to keep him, him, him and him, those contracts are all sorted and all we’re all good for next year”.”

Colchester’s under-21s drew 0-0 with Watford in their Professional Development League Two clash at Florence Park yesterday.