Teenage midfielder Taylor Charters has signed a two-year professional contract with Carlisle United.

The 17-year-old, currently in the second year of his scholarship with the Blues, has signed a deal which keeps him at Brunton Park until at least the summer of 2021.

Whitehaven-born Charters joined the club’s academy at Under-9 level and has progressed steadily through the ranks to earn a place in the two-year YTS [Youth Training Scheme] programme just over a year ago.

He has trained regularly with the first-team this season and appeared in a number of the Blues' pre-season friendlies, where he impressed United manager Steven Pressley.

He already has three goals to his name from the Under-18 side’s opening two games.

Pressley told the club website: "He’s what a lot of people are looking for in a modern-day midfielder.

"He’s big and athletic, but he’s also quick and he’s got good technical ability. He’s also a player who runs and arrives in the box, which means he’s capable of scoring goals from midfield.

"He’s a real athlete, and if we can put all those pieces of the jigsaw together, I think we’ve got a very good midfielder."

"I want to see him firstly train to a standard where there’s never a question that he’ll be training with us," Pressley added.

"He simply can’t allow his standards to drop. He then needs to be pushing to be regularly involved in the matchday squads and the next stage is, of course, to be playing in the team.

"That has to be his objective and I would hope that, if he continues to progress in the manner he is, we’ll see him in the first-team or on the bench on a regular basis."

At today's press conference, Pressley confirmed Jarrad Branthwaite, Josh Galloway and Charter have remained with the first-team squad, with United’s youth team due to travel to Hungary.