Colchester boss John McGreal could welcome back top scorer Luke Norris for their trip to Carlisle after the striker’s rapid recovery from injury.

The eight-goal striker is pushing for a place at Brunton Park having shrugged off an ankle problem.

Manager McGreal says ex-Swindon man Norris has shot back to availability after a month, which is well ahead of schedule considering the 25-year-old was originally not expected back this year.

He was a sub against Macclesfield last weekend and McGreal told the Colchester Gazette: “Luke coming back is brilliant.

“He was back training with us during the [last] week, and we were thinking about the under-23s on the Monday.

“We were a little bit wary of him, but we said to him – ‘are you ready to go?’ – and he said ‘yes.’

“Luke’s beaten all the records coming back. It’s a terrific recovery for him, and it gives us that extra competition in that forward area.”

Mikael Mandron scored his first goal of the season when the third-placed Us beat Sol Campbell’s Macclesfield.