Striker Macauley Bonne has left Gillingham on loan to join his former manager in League 1.

Bonne leaves the Gills on transfer deadline day for Cambridge United, managed by former Gills boss Neil Harris, on loan until the end of the season.

Bonne, 28, joined the Gills in the summer and scored five goals in 31 appearances.

In a statement confirming the move Gills said: “Everyone at Priestfield would like to thank Macauley for his services and we wish him well at his new club.”

The move sees the striker team up with Harris again after he was sacked by Gillingham in October.

“He is a manager I have wanted to work with over the years,” Bonne told Cambridge’s official website.

“Now the chance is here for me to work under him again it’s an opportunity I want to pursue. He knows me, he knows my style of play and knows how to get the best out of me. It’s an exciting opportunity for me.

“I am fit and ready. I am in a good place right now to go and play football and this has come at a good time for me. There is a good group of lads and I feel like I will be a good fit.”

Harris added: “I am delighted to welcome Macauley to the club. He comes in with a pedigree of playing and scoring at whichever league he has played in.

“He offers versatility and variety to our frontline, he has played football this year and is fit and ready to go.

“I think he will complement Lyle [Taylor] and Elias [Kachunga] very, very well and I am really pleased he is now with us.”

There is also speculation that fellow Gills striker Tom Nichols could be leaving, making room for new additions.

Following Bonne’s departure, Gillingham's head coach Stephen Clemence said: "I wish Macauley all the best. He has been a good professional, he hasn’t caused me any problems at all around the place. He is well respected among the group but someone in my position, you have to try and freshen things up in that department, this isn’t just Macauley, there are lots of people in that department.

"We haven’t scored enough goals and it is my job to try and improve that. Sometimes a player can be at a club and it doesn’t work out for one reason or another. I have no ill feelings towards Macauley, I have always got on well with him. I wish him all the best at his new club."