Drey Wright has suffered another big injury blow, this latest one ruling him out for the rest of this campaign.

The talented teenager suffered cruciate ligament damage, in a recent outing for Colchester United’s under-21 development squad.

It was originally hoped that Wright would only be out for a couple of weeks, while the knee settled down, but a scan has revealed more serious damage.

U’s boss Tony Humes said: “It’s very disappointing to announce that Drey (Wright) will be out for the season.

“He has worked so hard to get himself back into contention, and was a big part of our plans for this season, so it’s very disappointing for him.

“Drey will have to get his head around it, but he’s still only 19 and has a big future ahead of him.”

Wright suffered a long-term injury to his other knee last season, which kept him out of action for nearly seven months from September through to April.

He returned before the end of the campaign, started the U’s first game of this season, a 2-2 draw against Oldham, and had since made five more appearances as a substitute.