Carlisle United chairman Andrew Jenkins has publicly backed manager Keith Curle - but warned the club would not risk its long-term future in pursuit of glory.

The statement from Jenkins came two days after a meeting with the rest of United's holdings board directors and Curle.

Jenkins insisted the discussions were "positive" and described Curle as "extremely ambitious" and a "very good manager" who the club believes can lead the Blues to promotion next season.

But the veteran director also said United must operate its finances with "sustainability" in mind, rather than taking needless risks.

The statement came a week after Curle, in a BBC Radio Cumbria interview, suggested he could walk away if the club's ambitions were not "in line" with his own.

The manager, who has a year left on his contract, said he would be seeking assurances over extra investment in the football side of the Blues after this season's League Two play-off defeat.

Jenkins said of the end-of-season review: "It was a positive discussion and, following on from that meeting, it is now business as usual for everybody as we look forward to next season.

"We have a number of players who have been offered new deals, and we’re waiting to hear back from them, and Keith and his staff are also out as we speak talking to targets and their representatives as they look to reshape the squad ahead of August.

"Another good part of the conversation with Keith was for us to lay out our vision for the club in terms of where we see it going and what our key ambitions are.

"We explained that rather than basing any strategy purely on numbers and finances we’ve looked at it with a view to sustainability, with the medium and long term firmly in mind.

"It’s about striving to go forward and pushing up through the divisions by winning both on and off the field. Keith is extremely ambitious and wants success for his team.

"Our vision is about working together, as a club, community and football department so that we build a sustainable club that will thrive and be successful rather than go through boom and bust.

“That doesn’t mean risks won’t be taken in a bid to achieve even more success, but the club has to come first. Any risks have to be measured and calculated and that’s where we will take a short term assessment, as well as looking at the longer term impact, before we make our decision on whether or not the risk is one worth taking."

Jenkins also said Curle and his staff were aiming to "recruit quickly" this summer as the squad is rebuilt for the 2017/18 campaign.

The manager has been meeting potential targets this week.

The six first-team players offered new deals - Jabo Ibehre, Mark Gillespie, James Bailey, Jason Kennedy, Samir Nabi and Michael Raynes - have until next Tuesday to acknowledge Carlisle's offers.