Carlisle United's dwindling hopes of keeping Rhys Bennett finally died last night when the defender signed for Gillingham.

The centre-half turned down a new deal with the Blues in favour of a move to the League One club.

Bennett had attracted other interest in the third and fourth tiers, as well as in Scotland.

The former United man, who has spent time on trial with Burton, has now been reunited with his former Mansfield and Peterborough boss Steve Evans at Priestfield - where his captain will be Cumbrian ex-Blues star Kyle Dempsey.

It is understood Gillingham had registered their interest in Bennett at an early stage following the end of last season.

Evans, speaking on the Gills' website, said: “I spoke to him in the summer and I made it clear that I would love him to come to Priestfield.

"At that stage he wanted to explore the options open to him and since then he has been made several offers by clubs in League One, League Two and in the SPL.

"I made contact for an update on the situation and it quickly became apparent that he was signing with a club in the SPL.

"However, the longer we discussed what his objectives were, we thought we should take this further.

“The location suited, he wanted to be a part of it and it quickly happened. He has now joined us, he was outstanding for me at Mansfield hence why we took him to Peterborough and he was almost an ever present when the club was, for many weeks, top of League One.

“It was no surprise that within 24 hours the chairman and Rhys came to an agreement and I am delighted to say he has joined us.”

Bennett made 26 appearances for United last season after joining in November.

A superb start to life with Chris Beech's side saw his contract extended in January.

After the end of the Blues' 10th-placed campaign, Bennett told supporters on a live gaming stream that a contract offer he had received from United was "quite disrespectful".

Director of football David Holdsworth subsequently told a fans' forum that players should not "bleat" about such matters while "playing Space Invaders with fans".

He later published a YouTube video thanking the club and suggesting his comments had not been portrayed in the right way and that he should have kept negotiations private.

Beech recently said the door had not been closed on a possible return for the player, but that prospect seemed increasingly remote.

The defender was later spotted playing for Burton in a pre-season friendly, but has now headed to Kent for the 2021/22 campaign.

Bennett's time at Carlisle also saw the centre-half raise thousands for mental health charity Mind through a 12-hour live stream.