Gillingham manager Martin Allen believes midfielder Jack Payne could still have a future at the club despite speculation over him leaving.

The 20 year old has been linked with a move to Premier League side Reading over the past week after not travelling with the rest of the squad to Le Touquet for the pre-season training camp.

Despite not having been part of that trip, Payne was on the bench for The Gills at Princes Park on Saturday, coming on for the last half an hour as his side beat Dartford 1-0 courtesy of a goal from new striker Ben Strevens.

Speaking after the game, Allen told KSN how he was uncertain as to what the future held for Payne:

“We all know what my job is, to make sure we have the best team we can possibly get together.”

“He is behind the others as he didn’t come to France and he is having to do extra training sessions to get up to the fitness levels of the lads that went to France.”

“He’s a good player and any manager in their right mind don’t want to lose their players, but if the Chairman feels the offer is right for the football club, and the football club is not just a football team, it’s a business, then we all have to adhere to that, support that and back the Chairman .”

“It’s not my bloody money, so it’s up to him!”

Meanwhile, Allen is hoping to bring in a number of new faces before the start of the new season:

“I don’t do it too much myself. That’s one of the beauties of having Andy (Hessenthaler) there, because I can give him the names, he contacts the club, he contacts the agents and he gets on with it, with the Chairman to see if he can bring them in.”

“That takes a huge amount of time and waiting. With some of the players we are close, but you have to wait for the other clubs to let them go.”

“Andy pulled off three on Friday night, I think he was working until about eight o’clock to get them all signed and get all the contracts done.”

The sale of Paulo Gazzaniga has undoubtedly given Gillingham some spending power in this transfer window with the club bringing in Stuart Foster, Charlie Allen and Ben Strevens on free transfers on Friday, with Allen admitting he’d like to use some of the money should it be available to strengthen his squad:

“We will have to speak to the Chairman and get confirmation on that, but that was a big deal for a club at this level, without a shadow of a doubt and maybe it stretches the budget.”

“We will have to ask the Chairman and Andy, and we’ll no doubt talk over the weekend. We will see what he has to say.”

“I’ll talk to the chairman, he’s on holiday at the moment but I’m in touch with him 45 times a day, but he’s ambitious.”

Meanwhile, Allen confirmed he was to speak with trialists Damian Reeves, Dean Morgan and Ryan Gilligan about their futures and decisions will be made on the trio within days.