Sammie Szmodics says the messages of support he has received after breaking his left leg have helped him cope with his latest injury woe.

The luckless Colchester United attacker is set to miss the rest of the season after fracturing his fibula in their 2-0 defeat at Crewe Alexandra, last Saturday.

Szmodics does not require surgery and has not ruled out the prospect of playing again before the end of the League Two campaign.

But he is nevertheless initially expected to be out for six to eight weeks with the injury, suffered in the opening stages of the U’s loss at Gresty Road.

The former Stanway School pupil, who had only recently returned from an ankle injury which had sidelined him for four months, was inundated with good wishes on social media after breaking his leg.

He says the get well messages have come as a big boost at a difficult time.

Szmodics told the Daily Gazette: “I’m really grateful to have had so many lovely messages from people wishing me well, not just from Colchester staff and fans but also from people outside of the club.

“A couple of Crewe fans got in touch to wish me well which was nice, as well as former team-mates who are now playing at a higher level.

“Something like this is tough to take when you’ve been out for four months and you’re facing more rehab but things like that make it a bit easier.”

“The manager (John McGreal) and Bally (Steve Ball) have been great and they’ve been keeping my spirits up.

“They’ve said “you’ve had a bit of bad luck but keep your head up”.

Szmodics, who will see a specialist on Friday to learn more about the severity of the injury, revealed he knew immediately that he had suffered a serious injury after tangling with Crewe striker Chris Dagnall.

The Colchester-born youngster said: “It was more of a shock than anything when it happened.

“I don’t think the pitch helped but I’m not going to say that was the reason and I didn’t get fouled and I didn’t foul him (Dagnall).

“I remember tracking my man from our corner and I went across his path.

“The pain at the back of my leg was excruciating and I knew straight away that it was serious.

“I knew that something wasn’t right and at first, I couldn’t feel my foot or wriggle my toes when Tony Flynn our physio came on the pitch to treat me.

“It sounds funny to say but the pain was so bad, I got to the point where it didn’t hurt anymore.”

Szmodics had only returned from ankle surgery a fortnight earlier, coming off the bench to score at Cambridge United.

The 21-year-old was making only the fourth appearance of his comeback at Crewe, before his injury misfortune struck.

“The fact that I’d been out for so long and only just come back has made this even worse,” added Szmodics, who has made 23 appearances for the U’s this season.

“I had worked so hard to come back from my ankle injury and I was feeling good.

“I’d scored at Cambridge and then against Mansfield and I thought I’d started well at Crewe.

“Things were going well, so for this to happen was a horrible feeling.

“I’d been out for four months and worked so hard to get back but you have to try and stay positive.

“I still hope that I can come back before the end of the season and I wouldn’t rule anything out, although I know that it’s unlikely at the moment.

“The good thing is that I don’t need an operation, because the bone has not been displaced.

“You can’t look back and you can’t go back and change anything or dwell on things.

“Being out for four months with my ankle has made me mentally stronger and that will help me now.”