Carlisle United have today snapped up young Preston North End forward Ethan Walker on a season-long loan deal.
Walker, 18, has been at Deepdale since the age of nine and was only 14 when he first made an appearance for the youth team.
Predominantly left-sided, he was top scorer in the under-18 side for two consecutive seasons and was confirmed as the club's 2019/20 scholar of the year in July.
History was made when he came off the bench in a home draw with Aston Villa in December 2018, an appearance which made him the youngest ever player to represent the club in a league fixture.
Most recently he played in the friendly fixture against Everton, where he started the game as part of a front three.
Manager Chris Beech said: “Ethan’s an extremely talented young player, and very well thought of by Alex Neil and the staff at Preston North End.
“Having done his pre-season with their first team he’s in great shape and game ready having started against Everton last weekend.
“He’s an exciting player that can play anywhere across the front line. Technically very good, he’s quick, strong and dynamic with his movement, and at youth team level he’s continuously hit double figures with his goals.”
“I felt that with some of the injuries we’ve picked up during the last few weeks, particularly with Brennan [Dickenson], I wanted to bolster our attacking options with some pace and energy, and fortunately Alex Neil and Preston have trusted us to take Ethan.
“This is now his opportunity to come in and show me, Alex and the footballing world what he can do. He’ll be doing that in a positive environment and with an excellent group of lads around him to learn from and grow with.”