Manset on his hopes for the months ahead
With forms signed and paperwork submitted new arrival Mathieu Manset now has to play a waiting game as the wheels of international clearance turn slowly into place before he can finally be confirmed as Carlisle United’s new number ten.
Manset, 23, teamed up with the Cumbrians for what became a brief trial spell last week as manager Greg Abbott moved quickly to make the situation more formal.
“He knows he’s made a few errors of judgement along the way but we’ve sat him down and we’ve talked to him, and we think he’s ready to put that right,” Abbott said.
“It could be that we have another one who is hungry to prove people wrong and, if that’s the case, he’ll either earn himself a longer stay here or he’ll be off to a higher division.
“Hopefully that’s the case and that will come if he works his socks off and does what we all know he can do.”
“He’s already worked hard these last few days and he has shown a fantastic attitude so far,” he continued. “He’s a big, strong lad and, if he does things right, he could put the shivers up a lot of defences.
“He has a lot of ability and power and it will be interesting to see how he handles this next few weeks. He’s not quite match fit yet so we’ll have to be a little bit patient with him.
“Like I say, he’s ready for this and he could just be the type of player we’ve been looking for. There’s a real desire from the man to get his career back on track so we’re more than happy to give him the opportunity to do that.”
For the man himself, well, he just wants to get on with it.
“I feel lucky to get another chance to play English football because it's been a long time since I’ve played here,” he said. “English football is the best football in the world.
“Greg [Abbott] has given me the chance to be here and I just want to prove myself. He's told me I need to work very hard so I can get my match fitness. He has also told me that when I get on the pitch I need to do everything I can to help the team.
“I trained with the lads the other day and I enjoyed it. There's a good spirit and everyone seems to work together well. This is a new challenge for me and now there's only nine games left I just want to be involved as much as I can to help the team.
“I want to score as many goals as I can.”
As to what we can expect, he said: “I'm a big, strong player and I like to run with the ball. I like to think I have a couple of tricks in me as well.
“I don't feel too far away from being match fit and I'm probably about 90% there at the moment.
“I've never played in League One so that will be another new experience for me. That will be good for me and my career.
“The thing I want most is to prove myself and hopefully earn myself a longer deal. I know a lot has been said about me and I want to put that right.
“The manager has told me to prove everybody wrong and show people I'm a good player. I'm very determined to make sure that when people talk about me it will be because of my football. I am really determined to make that happen.”
