Carlisle United are delighted to announce that defender Aaron Hayden has today signed a one-year contract [with a club option] following a successful trial period with the club.
Hayden, 22, teamed up with the Blues just over two weeks ago having most recently spent almost 18-months on loan from Wolverhampton with Southern League Premier Division Central outfit Stourbridge.
Croydon-born Hayden spent time in the youth system at Chelsea before moving north to join the Wolves academy as a 16-year-old in 2015.
He enjoyed loan spells with Newport County, Hemel Hempstead Town, Bromley and Telford whilst with the Molineux outfit, but became a free agent on his return from Stourbridge at the end of the last campaign.
Manager Steven Pressley said: “We've been looking for a player who could cover the right back and right central defensive areas, and he ticks those boxes.
“He’s played a number of games when he’s been at his previous clubs in those positions, so he’s comfortable on that side in the back line.
“The thing with him at the moment is that he’s a player who has experienced full-time football but, most recently, he’s been playing part-time football. I don’t think his experience of the part-time game has been something he’s enjoyed very much at all.
“That means we have a young man who is extremely motivated and determined to make a career for himself as a professional.”
“He has very good attributes, we’ve seen that over the last few weeks, but there are other aspects he needs to work on,” he continued. “That’s something I’ve spoken to him about. He’s demonstrated with his attitude to being here that he’s ready to put the work in.
“This shows the benefit of having a trial period for some players. We’ve seen that Aaron fits in, and that he wants to be here, but we also remain aware that we haven’t seen the full character until we get into the season.
“He’s a very motivated person and he’s just desperate to prove himself. That’s why we feel this is a good addition to the group. The option in the contract gives him an added incentive to do well, and that’s what we want with all of our players.
“We want them to be here to push both themselves and the club onto the next level.”
Meanwhile forward Kwame Thomas has left Brunton Park as his trial spell comes to a close.
“Kwame showed a real willingness to work hard and he has some good attributes, which we saw with the two goals he scored,” the manager said.
“He doesn’t quite have everything we’re looking for from a player in that position at this moment in time and, with it being such a key role, I decided not to extend his stay any further.”
