Iain Moody admits he has been “blown away” by the quality of Colchester United’s set-up since arriving at the club.

Moody, who has previously worked in the Premier League, has taken over as the U’s Head of Player Resources where he will be tasked with nurturing their existing contracted players and improving the club’s player recruitment.

The former Cardiff City and Crystal Palace guru has been brought in by chairman Robbie Cowling to help Colchester’s senior personnel complement their academy players and Moody says he has been suitably impressed.

Moody, whose new role is his first at a football club since he resigned from his position at Crystal Palace in 2014, told the Daily Gazette: “It’s no exaggeration to say that the set-up has blown me away.

“I’d never been to the training ground before and it’s really something to be very proud of.

“For a club in League Two, it’s amazing and I think I can honestly say that the training ground is better than that of my last club Crystal Palace, in the Premier League.

“It’s been fantastic so far - I came in while the market was already open and the players were just starting to come back for pre-season at the time that I arrived, so the initial time has been very useful to me just to try and get to grips with the club and the people involved.

“Robbie (Cowling) said to me come in and have a look and I’m at that stage now where I’ve spent time with all of the members of staff; since I’ve come in, they’ve been great.”

For part one of our exclusive in-depth interview with Iain Moody, see Friday's Daily Gazette.