Keith Millen says Carlisle United are still “active” in the market with just over two weeks until the transfer deadline.

The Blues have made three signings so far, whilst allowing three players to leave Brunton Park.

The manager has been told by directors that he can still bring in more additions and Millen confirmed he would like to add further players who can enhance his squad.

“I still want one or two more,” he said.

“They need to be players who are really going to come in and make a difference.

“I’ve said from day one that we don’t need numbers, we’ve got a good squad, but if I can bring in something a little bit different then I’ll look at it, and the club are allowing me to look at it.

“If they tell me, ‘That’s it now’, no problem, but they haven’t said that.

“That means that while the market is open, I’m open to what’s out there, but it does need to be something that will help us to keep improving.”

Millen has so far brought in Joel Senior, Tyrese Omotoye and Omari Patrick, whilst ending the loans of Jonathan Dinzeyi and Brad Young, and releasing Keelan Leslie.

The United boss also said it would be wrong to assume that the team’s recent good form – with four league wins from five – has removed the need to strengthen.

“It can mask some problems there if you are winning games,” he said. “Sometimes you think, ‘We’re actually ok there’.

“Also, when you look in the cold light of day, you could be one injury away from being short in a certain position.

“It’s great everyone’s fit but you know around the corner something might change that. We are looking at every possibility of something changing. We’re active definitely still in the market.”

The United boss denied there was a specific position he was be looking to strengthen right now.

“It’s not so much positions,” he added. “Previously everyone knew we need to freshen up the front line because we hadn’t scored enough goals.

“It’s no secret we needed to bring in more attacking players to give us a threat and hopefully score more goals. I feel we’ve addressed that.

“Now my focus more is: is there a player or two that we maybe don’t expect, or one you think, Wow, we can’t turn that one down’?

“That’s more my thinking now. It still has to be the right type of player, the right profile.

“I’m not going to change the way we play or what we’ve been doing the last two months, but if there was someone that stood out who we had a chance of, I would look at that.

“I’m not going to say we need this or that, it’s more the quality of player that might become available.”

Millen, meanwhile, confirmed that he hopes to secure loan moves for young fringe players in the near future.

“People are competing to get on the bench, which is good in a way, but it’s something we’re going to look at – certainly the younger players, getting some of them out on loan,” he said.

“If they’re not getting on the bench on Saturday it’s very difficult for players not to even be involved. It’s something we’ve got to look at in the next week or so.

“Generally you find when you’ve brought players in, agents, clubs, players pick up on it – asking have they still got a future, where are they in my plans…

“I’ll always tell them where I see it, whether I see them competing, whether I see their pathway blocked, and what’s best for them, certainly the younger lads especially.

“If they’re not on the bench for the first team they need to go and play men’s football, for their own development.

“We will be looking at that as a club. We need to get some players out playing, because the squad’s suddenly becoming too big.”