'I hope he scores a load of goals': Blackpool boss wishes Mark Cullen all the best at Carlisle

The striker is still a couple of weeks away from full fitness having just returned from a stress fracture to his leg, which has kept him out of action for Blackpool since November.

With the form of Armand Gnanduillet and the recent arrivals of Chris Long and Elias Sorensen, the 26-year-old will have found himself down the pecking order at Bloomfield Road.

With that in mind, the Northumberland-born man opted to make the move to Carlisle, who are pushing for promotion from the division below.

When asked if it was a move that suited both parties, McPhillips told The Gazette: “It suited Mark I think.

"For me it was up to him.

“On the back of Joe (Dodoo) and Cully being injured, we got the chance to get Longy and the chance to get Elias in so we did.

“It was up to Cully if he wanted to stay.

“He will be match fit in a couple of weeks but he wanted to go and play because he’s not played as much as he would have liked in the last two years.

“To be fair to him he’s been a sought-after player, there were many clubs in for him.

“We wish him all the best, he’s a great lad and we will miss all his banter. I hope he scores a load of goals for them.”