Joe Dunne has admitted that he is in no rush to get to get the U's remaining out-of-contract players to commit their futures to the club.

The U's boss had originally said that he hoped to have things tied up by this weekend, but offers have been made to Mark Cousins, Ryan Dickson, Dominic Vose and David Wright, and he is now prepared to wait for their decisions.

Speaking to the EADT, Dunne revealed: "I spoke to all of them last Friday, and it's now a case of letting things develop.

"I fully understand that they will be looking to get the best deals possible, which includes looking at other clubs.

"There is no rush. I think the retain lists (notification of players being kept and those out-of-contract) are out on Saturday, but I'm not looking at that as a deadline. I think it's going to be a real, slow summer ahead.

"I understand it's a difficult situation, in the financial market, where there will be other clubs able to pay players more than we can.

"When those situations arise, you have a decision to make."

Defender Josh Thompson is also out-of-contract, but the club will assess his fitness in pre-season before deciding whether to offer him a new deal.

Meanwhile, the U's have made their first new signing of the close-season, with young striker Dominic Smith signing on a one-year contract, following a trial. The 18-year-old was recently released by Crewe Alexandra and has been signed to play for the U's under-21 development squad next season.

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