COLCHESTER United new boy Luke Hannant says he cannot wait to link up with his new team-mates this week.

The 27-year-old winger, who joined the U’s on a two-year deal earlier this month, is preparing to join up with his new team-mates on Thursday when the squad return to Tiptree, for pre-season.

Hannant finished last season on a high, after helping Cambridge United win promotion to League One.

However, the former Port Vale attacker is now fully focused on his new challenge with Colchester.

Hannant said: “I had a few weeks off at the end of last season to have a rest and carry on the celebrations of last season.

“But that’s stopped now; we’ve had that time to rest and let your hair down.

“It’s now time to start working hard again and the off season plans are all in place.

“I’m just looking forward to coming back now.

“There’s only a certain time before you start to get a bit bored and you get the itch back for football and be around the place and around the football lads.

“It can't come soon enough now and I’m just looking forward to starting and having a good first season, under my belt.”

Hannant played a big part in Cambridge’s promotion as League Two runners-up, last season.

He made a total of 48 league and cup appearances for the U’s in the 2020-21 campaign, scoring seven times.

“It was a great achievement to win promotion and you don’t get many of them, in your career and you never know when you might get the next one,” said Hannant, who spent two seasons at Cambridge after joining them from Port Vale in 2019.

“Having gained that promotion under my belt, it’s given me a lot of experience to go into this new environment now and hopefully take all of the lessons that I’ve learned from that season into this one and hopefully make Colchester a better team.

“I just wish Cambridge all the best.

“If anyone asks me about them, I won’t have one bad word to say about them.

“No-one can ever take the promotion season away from us but at this point in my career, I’ve opted to go a different route and start a new challenge.

“It was a really special season for everyone and I don’t know how many times you can say you’ve got a promotion in your career; some may be more fortunate than others but in the lower leagues, you have to take advantage of those moments and cherish them for the rest of your career.”