Steven Pressley says his decision to drop Gary Liddle from the Carlisle United side should be a warning to all players to keep their standards up.

Pressley axed Liddle for last weekend’s draw at Forest Green, with Gary Miller earning a recall.

Liddle, when fit, has been a mainstay of the Blues’ defence this season but now faces a fight to regain his place.

Ahead of another crucial clash with Cambridge this weekend, Pressley said he had spoken to experienced Liddle about the decision.

“When I make a decision like that, especially with the senior players, I’ll always speak to them one-to-one,” the United manager said.

“Gary [Liddle] was obviously disappointed, which is normal for a player of that experience and a player that wants to play every week.

“But I had to take the decision on what I felt was best for both Gary and the team.

“The positive was that we had a good performance and it makes everybody else aware that you have to perform at a certain level…or everybody’s in a position where they’re susceptible to being dropped.”

Pressley praised summer signing Miller for the way he slotted back into the side at the New Lawn.

He also said Mike Jones had shown the right attitude to his recent spell out of the side, having recalled the midfielder for United’s last game.

The boss could now face a big selection decision for the Cambridge home clash, with Kelvin Etuhu expected to return to contention.

He missed the Forest Green trip to be with his partner as she gave birth to their son.

“Every player will be in consideration for this weekend,” Pressley said.

“We obviously continue to analyse Cambridge. They’ve played a number of systems of late, and we’re a wee bit unsure as to what they’ll line up against us, but we have to look at that, look at the players available and decide what we think’s best for that particular game.”

United are assessing defender Peter Grant, who Pressley said had failed to complete training on Tuesday.

It has not been confirmed what injury the defender may have suffered.

Macaulay Gillesphey, meanwhile, could return in two weeks’ time as he makes further progress after knee surgery.