Steven Pressley has spoken to “several of the big clubs” in Scotland about bringing some of their players to Carlisle United on loan.

Two of the Blues’ first three summer captures have come from north of the border and United manager Pressley admits the club are “continuously monitoring” the Scottish market.

Greenock-born Australian left-back Jack Iredale was Carlisle’s first signing ahead of the start of their 2019/20 season as he joined from Morton, before fellow defender Christie Elliott turned down a new deal at Partick Thistle in favour of a move to Brunton Park while centre-back Jon Mellish has also agreed to link up with the Cumbrians.

Former Scotland defender Pressley said: "Yeah, we are continuously monitoring the market there [in Scotland].

"I have spoken to several of the big clubs there about the possibility of loan signings. I have spoken to them in detail about a couple of players who are of real interest to us but, like many of the loan signings, you sometimes have to wait a little bit longer.

"But it’s a very good market for us. I think you get good value for money and you get players that are determined to come down to England and really prove themselves.

"So, I think it’s a really good market and one that we will continue to monitor. I’m not making any guarantees but there are certainly still several players on our radar north of the border that we hope to bring in between now and the start of the season."

United have also recently been linked with a move for experienced Kilmarnock defender Kirk Broadfoot.

Pressley, meanwhile, is keen to bolster his backroom staff after the departures of assistant manager Tommy Wright and popular Cumbrian first-team coach Paul Murray.

When asked if he had any replacements for the duo in mind, the 45-year-old said: “Yes, definitely. I will do the appropriate work on that over the next week or so.

“I certainly have one major target. But the outcome of that is dependant on a number of things. But if that doesn’t happen, we have a few other options that I’ll consider and then I’ll make a decision based on what I would like to do, moving forward.”

The manager, though, was not keen on the possibility of a player-coach.

He said: “I’d never rule anything out but that’s not something I greatly believe in to be perfectly honest.

“I think, when you come to this side, the commitment that it requires now, not just on the grass but in terms of analysing the opposition, in terms of all the aspects I work towards, to work on both sides is a very difficult commitment.

"I wouldn’t foresee that. I wouldn’t rule it out, but it’s not something I’m looking at."