United boss Steven Pressley confirmed this week that he has feelers out on both sides of the border as he looks to push on with player recruitment through the busy summer months.
“We’re still working on a few potential targets as we speak, but I’ve been really pleased with what we’ve done so far,” he said. “We’re continuously monitoring the market and that includes north of the border.
“I’ve spoken to several of the big clubs up there about the possibility of loan signings, and I’ve spoken to some in detail about a couple of players who are of real interest to us. Like many of the loan signings you do, you sometimes have to wait that little bit longer.
“I think Scotland could be a very good market for us and it’s a place where you can get good value for money. You also get players who are determined to come down to England and really prove themselves, so it’s an area we’ll continue to monitor.
“I’m not making any guarantees but there are certainly still several players in Scotland who are on our radar who we hope to bring in between now and the start of the season.”
On how Brunton Park can seem an attractive proposition for Scottish-based players, he told us: “Coming to Carlisle is seen as a big opportunity for certain players up there and it’s also an opportunity for some of the bigger guns to send us some of their loan players.
“They tend to like them to go to England because they see it as a very good grounding for a player. We’re the closest club to them in the football league which allows them to be able to monitor their progress.
“We’re quite an attractive club to them, so there are positives, and particularly with us being seen as a first step on a possible ladder into the English game. If that happens with players who come here then it’s a good sign for us because it means that they’ve performed well here, and we understand that younger players have ambition.”
“I’ll be speaking to clubs in the Championship as well,” he continued. “One of those clubs has been involved in the play-offs so I haven’t spoken in detail to them yet.
“That’ll be happening over the next week or 10 days. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the players we’ve targeted from that.”
With three new arrivals already secured, he commented: “I’ve had talks with another two and we’re making strides on another few.
“We have one proposal out to a player but I don’t think that’s going to happen quickly. I’ve said before that I don’t want to have to chase people down and force them to come to Carlisle.
“I’ve done that in the past and when a player has been forced to come to a club they’re never fully committed. With all of the players I’ve spoken to thus far, they’ve all wanted to come here.
“I’ve laid down my plans and expectations and I’ve told them all not to bother signing if they aren’t going to buy into it.
“That’ll be the case with every player we talk to. They have to buy into the culture we want to create, and they’ll do that because they want to be here in the first place.”