BEN Garner says he would dearly love to keep prize asset Junior Tchamadeu at Colchester United.

But the U’s head coach admits the talented teenager could leave, if the right offer comes in.

Tchamadeu has enjoyed an excellent season for Colchester, leading to him being named League Two Young Player of the Season and in the division’s Team of the Season.

The 19-year-old has plenty of admirers and although Garner wants him to stay, he concedes he has to be realistic about what might happen in the forthcoming window.

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Garner said: “Is he going to be difficult to hold on to? We’ll see.

“For me, I’d love to keep him, absolutely.

“I think there’s so much more that we can add and help him add to his game and improve.

“But every player has got a price that becomes attractive for the club that’s selling, so we’ll see in the summer.

Gazette:

“I would very much hope that he’s here next season to call upon him but as with every player, we’ll have to see how that goes in the summer.”

Colchester have a busy summer ahead with 14 players due to see their current deals expire, although the club do have options on some of those contracts.

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The U’s have two games of the season remaining, with a trip to play Doncaster Rovers tomorrow followed by a home game against play-off chasing Mansfield Town to finish off, on May 8.

Garner says everyone needs to be playing to impress in the final two matches – whether they are out of contract this summer or not.

“We had a coaching staff meeting (on Wednesday), just to start discussing it,” said Garner.

Gazette:

“Then I have a meeting with the chairman today (Thursday) and next Thursday with the chairman and the board, to go through all of those options, to look at each player individually and then decide on what we do, moving forwards.

“I think everyone is striving for next season.

“Every week is an opportunity for players to impress and stake their claim, whether they’re in or out of contract.

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“Even the players who have a contract for next season, if they drop off in these next two games, that’s going to be in my mind over the summer that they’re perhaps not the type of characters that we want at the football club.

“Every training session, every game is a test and challenge for the players to set the standards to be the best they can be; if not, then they’re probably not the type of people we want moving forward.”