Former Carlisle United striker Hallam Hope is close to a return to action nearly two months after being the victim of an alleged assault.

The Oldham Athletic player was said to have suffered serious injuries in the incident in early September, which has since seen a man arrested.

But the former Blues forward is now on the verge of making his comeback for the National League club.

Latics boss David Unsworth said Hope is due to return to action next weekend.

"Hallam will be available next week, so that's amazing," Unsworth said in a club interview.

"He had his first non-contact session [on Friday] so we've got to be very careful in terms of the concussion side of his injuries - there's a process to follow.

"He'll have a full week's training next week in the lead up to Saturday's game, which is brilliant.

"And he's looked really, really good and sharp in training, especially the last couple of days."

Police arrested a man in late September on suspicion of assaulting the 28-year-old, subsequently releasing him under investigation.

The incident allegedly took place after Oldham's game against Chesterfield, with the latter club helping police with their enquiries.

Hope, who played for Carlisle from 2015-20, needed hospital treatment after the incident, which Oldham described as a "vicious assault".