Big defender Ben Nugent won’t be returning to the Gills this season.

Manager Steve Lovell told the centre-back that his game-time would be limited and suggested looking elsewhere for football.

Lovell did offer Nugent a new deal but with Alex Lacey fit again and pushing both Gabriel Zakuani and Max Ehmer for a start in defence, the competition might have left him out in the cold.

“I couldn’t guaranteed him a start,” said Lovell.

“Ben is great and he would have stayed. I have been honest with him and said ‘you might as well find yourself another club’ because we have got three centre halves and perhaps another one who could come in and play there.

“We've got Finn O’Mara and Jack Tucker as well, we have enough people who can play there, along with Billy Bingham. I said to Ben you best try and find a club somewhere else.”

Youth players Darren Oldaker, Bradley Stevenson and Aaron Simpson are all set to complete the formalities on their new one-year extensions this week, after the club took up the option on each of their contracts,

They will be joining the rest of the squad back at the club today (Monday) when pre-season training gets under way.

Player-of-the-year Mark Byrne could also be involved, if he signs a new deal, which Lovell is confident will happen.

He said: “If he is here Monday, happy days. It is down to him now.”

Players will face fitness assessments this week and some light ball work.

Lovell said: "They will have testing on Monday which will be body-fats and weights, plus they will be doing some running and jumping test and comparing them to what we did at the end of last season. We will do some ball work in the afternoon and on Tuesday it will be the same, with more running.

"The first week will be pretty much be a build-up. It will be structured and building up to the second week, from July 2, when the real training begins, regarding a lot more ball work and working on the sharpness. We will get that base fitness which a lot will already have."