Colchester United have completed the signing of Kilmarnock midfielder Craig Slater.

The U's have fought off competition from Scottish Premiership outfit Aberdeen and League One interest to secure the signing of the central midfielder, who is a Scotland under-21 international, for an undisclosed fee.

Slater, 22, who is Colchester's sixth senior summer signing, says chairman Robbie Cowling played a big part in him agreeing a move to the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Glasgow-born Slater said: “It’s been a wee while coming – I left Kilmarnock to see what was coming and Colchester were very keen and I was keen to come here.

“I was weighing up a few options but I spoke to the manager and the chairman was massive in bringing me in.

"The chairman did a lot for me in helping me to make my mind up and I wanted to be a part of this club.

“I heard about the facilities and Denny (Johnstone) signed here as well so that was a massive factor.

“I’ve been involved with Scotland youth groups with Denny and he was actually at Kilmarnock for a bit as well, so it was nice to have a familiar face coming down.

“The chairman was brilliant in bringing me here and I spoke to the manager as well.

“I’ve only been here a couple of days but you can definitely see straight away how professional everything is and it’s something I want to be a part of."

For a full interview with new signing Craig Slater, see Friday's Daily Gazette.