A WEEK after being missing from training and handing in two transfer requests, Luke James is back in the Hartlepool United fold.

The striker was absent from last weekend's first win of the season, a 2-1 triumph at Wimbledon, after not turning up for training on Thursday or Friday. 

But he returned to the club's Maiden Castle training ground on Tuesday when the players reconvened and he back was there yesterday. 

Pools travel to Cheltenham tomorrow ahead of Saturday's game and boss Colin Cooper said: “Luke is back in, he is training and, as far as I am concerned part of the squad going forward.

“I have addressed it by having the conversation that I wanted to have had with him and I have had two or three in the last few days, he’s back and, as far as I am concerned we just crack on.’’

Peterborough, who have had a bid rejected by Pools for James, have signed attacker Marcus Maddison from Gateshead this week. The former Newcastle trainee has moved for a fee in the region of £600,000.