One of Carlisle United’s promising young pros has made a welcome return to training.

Defender Tom Wilson is stepping up his return from an ankle injury.

The teenage centre-half, a first-year professional with the Blues, underwent surgery earlier this year.

Head coach Chris Beech said today: “He’s training now which is really pleasing.

“He had a bad knock on his ankle and had to have an operation on it. He’s back training now and it’s good to see him on the training ground.

“Tom has got good attitude, good physicality, and his body fat is really low – he’s looked after himself to the best he possibly could to be in a position to get going again.

“He’s just got going again so that’s great.”

Wilson is one of five first-year pros at United with the other four – Liam Lightfoot, Charlie Barnes, Charlie Birch and Jamie Armstrong – temporarily back with the Blues from loan spells at Kendal.

The quartet have seen their opportunities at the south Cumbrian side halted because of the Covid-19 lockdown which has curtailed football at non “elite” levels.

They are expected to resume their loans if the non-league game returns next month.

“The majority of the lads are contracted to January in the loans,” Beech added.

“You can recall and re-loan them, but there’s no real current need at the moment.

“They’re not yet at a stage to enhance an opportunity for our three points on Saturday [at first-team level. If they get to that stage, great; if not, some things just don’t work out. At the moment they’re in that in-between position.

“It’s a shame [things have had to pause with Kendal], because they were enjoying it, and if they played slightly higher they could still play…it’s in a strange sort of freeze position.

“It is what it is, we’ll just have to address it when things change.”