Marcus Bean admits he may have played his last game for Colchester United.

But the experienced midfielder has vowed to remain as professional as possible while he remains at the club.

Bean is yet to feature for the U’s since Tony Humes’ appointment as boss, at the start of last month.

The 29-year-old has been made available for loan and concedes his days as a Colchester player may be numbered.

But he is nevertheless determined to set the right example while he remains at the club - and insists he wants to see the U’s do well.

Bean said: “I’m a realist and everything now is pointing to the fact that I’ll probably have to move on.

“Like any player would be, I’m disappointed not to be playing.

“It’s not easy when you train hard all week and there’s no game on a Saturday at the end of it.

“At the start of the season, results were not going for us but performances were still quite good.

“I obviously didn’t want to be out of the team so quickly after the new manager came in, without being given the opportunity to express myself.

“I don’t feel like I’ve done much wrong and I’m disappointed with how it’s panned out but I just have to keep going.

“I’m big enough and experienced enough to know that that’s just football - different managers have different ideas.

“I’ve been with this group of boys for nearly three years now and I want to see them do well.

“I felt that I still had a big part to play but I have a responsibility as a senior player to set the right example to the young players we have in the squad.

“I have to remain focused and be as professional as possible, whether I’m in the team or not.”

Bean’s pre-season preparations were disrupted by a knee injury which left him playing catch-up, in the opening weeks of this season.

But the former QPR midfielder, who is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, started Joe Dunne’s final three games in charge.

“I got an injury in pre-season but I felt like I was getting back to where I wanted to be,” added Bean, who joined Colchester in June, 2012.

“But the old manager went and I found myself back to square one.

“I’m confident in what I can offer - I have to make sure that if I do go out on loan, it’s to a club where I have the chance to try and secure a contract either there or elsewhere.”

For all of the latest Colchester United news, see the Daily Gazette.