Would Blackpool consider registering Beryly Lubala to help solve striker crisis?

The Seasiders are now down to one available number nine after Gary Madine injured his knee during the weekend defeat to Bristol City.

Shayne Lavery, meanwhile, is not expected to return until mid-April with a hamstring problem while the Seasiders won’t see Jake Beesley again until next season after undergoing surgery on a fractured foot.

It means Jerry Yates, who hasn’t scored since October, is the only fit first-team striker on Blackpool's books.

While Lubala is predominantly a winger or wide forward, it has been suggested by some fans the 25-year-old could take up one of the remaining two spots in the club’s 25-man squad to help provide another option in the final third.

But McCarthy provided an emphatic response when asked if this had been considered.

“No. He’s not going to be registered,” he told The Gazette.

“He’s not better than the ones we’ve got, that’s the upshot of it. We’ll go with what we’ve got.”

Speaking after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Ashton Gate, McCarthy also ruled out calling up a striker from the club’s youth team.

The likes of Brad Holmes and Zak Emmerson both feature for Stephen Dobbie’s development squad but have yet to get a sniff with the first-team.

When asked if turning to a youngster was an option, McCarthy said: “No, not really. Not any that are going to play and make a difference in the Championship.

“We’ll have to cobble something else together with the lads we’ve got.”

Lubala has only made one competitive appearance for the Seasiders this season and that came back in August during the Carabao Cup game against Barrow.

He was later shipped out on loan to League Two side Colchester United, where he scored once in 12 appearances before returning early to Bloomfield Road during the January transfer window.

Lubala has regularly featured for the club’s development squad in recent months but with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, any chances of him representing the first-team again now seem unlikely.