United Manager Greg Abbott will give week-long trials to three players on Monday as he continues to look at the structure of his squad.

He said: "I am very pleased that we have got these lads coming in, and it will do us no harm at all to take a look at where they are at.

"Hopefully they will show us that they will be worth persevering with and that will be a big bonus for us. All three are highly thought of and come with excellent recommendations, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do."

21-year-old Leeds Academy product and England U19 defender/midfielder Gavin Rothery, recently released from Elland Road by Gary McAllister, will be amongst the arrivals early next week.

Abbott said: "We will be looking at Gavin with a view to the possibility of a short-term contract. Obviously we will see how things go next week and take it from there."

Former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Michael Burns, 20, who started his football life as a trainee with Liverpool, is another who will take his bow at Brunton Park on Monday.

The manager told us: "He has parted company with Bolton because he doesn't think that he is going to progress with them, and he is one that we have had on the radar for a while.

"We have watched him play for their Reserve side on three separate occasions already, and he is an interesting one. He's a left footed central midfield player, and it looks like a hopeful one for us."

21-year-old Bradford Park Avenue midfielder Matty James is another who will team up with the Cumbrians.

Abbott explained: "We have decided to have a look at Matty because it is an example of exhausting all of the avenues that are open to us.

"He is coming from non-league, but he has been offered a phenomenal contract for that level. We have decided to look at him to see whether he is ready for the step up to this level. He's a big, strong lad and we like the look of him, so it is well worth us bringing him in."

"Like I say, we are getting these lads over here for a week and we hope that all of them will justify a longer stay than that. It may be that we look at short-term deals initially, but who knows, maybe that will then lead to something bigger and better. It will certainly not do us any harm at all to take a look at them to see what they can do."

"I think it's important that we do look at all of the options available," he continued. "If good trial prospects like this come up, then we should not be afraid to bring them in. Likewise we should also look at the loan market as well as the transfer market, where we will have to pay a fee, as we continue to try to improve things here at the club."

"We have enquiries out on a number of players at the moment, both with a view to loans and for permanent deals, and it's just a case of us staying patient and waiting to see where that takes us."