League Two manager reveals what he has heard from Derby County about potential January decision over striker’s future | OneFootball

Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson says Derby County have told him they will only recall striker Jack Stretton from his loan spell at Brunton Park in an injury crisis.

Stretton has previously made 16 first-team appearances in all competitions for Derby, after coming through the youth ranks at Pride Park.

The summer transfer window however, saw the 21-year-old join Carlisle on a season-long loan, and he has since gone on feature 19 times in total for the League Two side.

During that time, Stretton has scored twice for Simpson’s side – who currently sit sixth in the table – with both goals coming in a 3-0 league win over Doncaster back in October.

As it the case with most loan moves, Derby have the option to recall Stretton when the market reopens in January.

Judging by these latest comments from Simpson however, it seems unlikely they will be doing that as things stand.

What shirt number do these 25 current Derby County players wear?

1 of 25

Conor Hourihane?

4 7 10 13

Speaking to The News and Star about the possibility of Derby recalling Stretton, the Carlisle boss said: “They [Derby] can’t give us a definitive answer, but what they’re saying at the moment is they don’t expect to be recalling him, unless they have a massive injury crisis.

“I think we’ll only know when it comes to that window in January. The signs are that we’re able to keep him, and we’ve just got to wait and see.

“We’re sort of holding our breath a little bit with all the loans just to see what they decide to do, but a bit closer to the time we should get a clearer picture.”

The Verdict

This does feel like a positive update for those involved here.

Stretton has made a positive impact since joining Carlisle, so you imagine the League Two side will be keen to keep him in order to aid their push for promotion.

Indeed, Derby have plenty of their own attacking options on their books, so they should be able to cope without him, meaning it would be hard for Stretton to get the game time he needs if recalled.

As a result, you feel everyone concerned will be keen for the 21-year-old to see out the entirety of his loan spell at Brunton Park, which looks like being the best thing for his career in the circumstances.