COLCHESTER United's League Two rivals Oldham Athletic have agreed a deal to sell 15-year-old forward Zak Emmerson to Brighton for an undisclosed fee - almost a year to the day since Todd Miller made the same move from the U's.

Emmerson became the second-youngest player to appear in the EFL when - at 15 years and 73 days old - he made his debut as a substitute against Walsall in October.

The teenager went on to make one more league appearance from the bench for the Latics and started a Leasing.com Trophy fixture at Fleetwood in November.

"I'd just like to start by congratulating Zak on his move and it is something that will completely change his life," Oldham head of academy Paul Murray told the club's website.

"Zak has epitomised all of the values we want from our players and has been at the forefront of this with his mentality, attitude and work ethic. At such a young age he is mature beyond his years.

"He's a very grounded person and I know Brighton will take really good care of him. They're a club that like to nurture and improve their young players and I fully believe we'll see him in the international youth set-ups in the not too distant future."

Miller was 16 when he made the move from Colchester to Brighton on July 19, 2019.

He signed a three-year contract for Brighton for an undisclosed six-figure fee.

He is currently the U’s youngest-ever first-team player, having made his senior debut for them as a late substitute at the age of 16 years and 166 days in their League Two game at Exeter City in March, 2019.

Miller has been playing for the Seagulls' under-18 side this season, making 14 appearances for them before the campaign was cut short prematurely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.