Hayden Mullins is the new number two at Colchester United.
It was officially confirmed on Thursday morning that the former Premier League midfielder will join Steve Ball and the U’s squad with immediate effect, as they prepare for Saturday’s Carabao Cup tie at his old club Reading.
Mullins has been coaching at Watford since the summer of 2016, when he joined the Hornets’ back-room staff as an assistant to U21s Coach Harry Kewell.
He progressed to become the Manager of the Watford U23s squad, and had spells as Caretaker Manager of the first team when both Quique Sanchez Flores and Nigel Pearson left Vicarage Road.
As a player, Mullins made almost 700 appearances across spells at six clubs, including Crystal Palace and the U’s first two opponents this season, Reading and Portsmouth.