Joe Riley has revealed that he is leaving Carlisle United.
Despite being offered a new contract by the Blues, the midfielder has used social media to say he is moving on from Brunton Park.
And the 25-year-old, whilst expressing his gratitude to the club, also claimed he had not been "valued as highly as I'd hoped".
Riley made the comments in a statement on Twitter, hours after United confirmed he was one of four players being offered new terms.
The former Manchester United man, who joined Carlisle in the summer of 2020, wrote: "This club gave me an opportunity when no-one else would and for that I'll always be grateful.
@officialcufc 💙 pic.twitter.com/HUwhUa1NXY
— Joe Riley (@joeriley49) May 9, 2022
"Working with an unbelievable group of players, after two enjoyable seasons my time here has come to an end.
"I have honestly grown to love this club, as has my entire family, which is why this decision was extremely difficult.
“As an honest person, please don’t believe everything you read on Twitter, even if you think it’s from a credible source.
“Unfortunately, the truth of not being valued as highly as I’d have hoped after 84 games here will never be communicated for you all but it was clear for me to see.
“I wish Carlisle nothing but the best for the future, you fans deserve it.”
There has been speculation linking Riley with a move to another League Two club.
His departure comes after two campaigns in which the ex-Bradford City man has performed in midfield and on the right of United’s defence.
He scored five goals in his 84 appearances, featuring under successive managers Chris Beech, Keith Millen and Paul Simpson.
He was offered a new contract today along with Taylor Charters, Magnus Norman and Brennan Dickenson but it now appears Riley’s future lies elsewhere.
Simpson, speaking on the club's YouTube channel, said earlier today that he had given all the players until the end of the month to consider United's offers.
The manager said he made the offers "because I'd genuinely like to keep them here - I'm not doing it on a whim.
"I think they are players who will take us forward. I hope they agree to stay, we'll wait and see on that.
"Once we get to the end of this month, if they've decided it's not a yes, the contract offer will be taken away. It may come back again further down the line but the likelihood is it will be on less terms than they've been offered so far."
United have not yet commented on Riley's statement.
READ MORE: Carlisle United reveal decisions on out-of-contract players
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel