Luke Plange’s Carlisle United loan looks unlikely to be extended after he was left out of the matchday squad again.

Blues boss Paul Simpson said the matter has yet to be confirmed, with the striker available for one more game before his half-season spell expires.

But United’s manager did say that the Crystal Palace man’s stint in Cumbria “hasn’t worked out” as well as all parties would have liked.

It points to the likelihood of the 21-year-old returning to south London after next Saturday’s trip to Exeter City.

Plange was at Brunton Park on Saturday but, for the second successive game, was not named in the 18-man squad as United defeated Port Vale 2-1.

Simpson told the News & Star: “I’ll be honest, I haven’t even spoken to Crystal Palace about it yet. His loan’s up next week, so I’ll have a conversation with them and by next week when we speak again there will probably be some more information.

“I’ll be speaking to them before Exeter – he’s available for Exeter, the loan finishes the day after, so he’s available for that game but I will have that conversation with them just to see what their thoughts are.

“It’s probably fair to say the loan hasn’t worked out as well as we wanted for all parties.

“We’ll find out where we are with it, we’ll see what options we’ve got, what we can do and we’ll go from there.”

Plange has scored twice in 26 appearances since making the temporary move to United from his Premier League employers.

His strikes came against former loan club Lincoln City and Reading.

While some of Plange’s performances have come in for praise, such as his efforts in wide attacking positions against Bristol Rovers and Northampton Town, he has also faced flak from fans.

Some supporters cheered when the young striker was substituted in last month’s 3-0 defeat at Blackpool, prompting Simpson to criticise the reception and defend his player.

United’s boss has already brought in one new striker in the form of Luke Armstrong and is keen to bolster his squad further now the January transfer window is open.