Carlisle United have today handed a professional deal to a young Ukrainian striker.

Anton Dudik, 19, has joined the Blues having trained with the club for several weeks.

The young forward, who has previously been on the books of Shakhtar Donetsk, is not being considered for a first-team role right now.

But manager Paul Simpson was keen to take a gamble on his potential and will monitor the striker closely having handed him terms until the end of the season.

Dudik is initially set to play as an over-age player with United's youth team.

He could also be involved with senior team-mates in next Tuesday's Fred Conway Cumberland Cup quarter-final at Penrith.

Dudik was recommended to United by an agent having had previous trials with English clubs.

He was on the books of Volyn Lutsk and Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine and Slask Wroclaw in Poland.

The young player and his mother subsequently moved to England amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Simpson said he is intrigued by Dudik's potential having seen him at close quarters.

"Anton has been with us for the past couple of months. He was recommended to us by an agent so we brought him in to start training with the youth team," the United boss told the club website.

"He showed that he had enough to be involved in first team training so he's trained with us on numerous occasions.

"I just think there is something there that is worth looking at and keeping around for longer while we try to develop him. 

"He's not ready to go into the first team yet, but he certainly looks as though he's got real promise. He's got experience with some big clubs in Ukraine and I'm excited to see how he develops. 

"Also, it sounds like a bit of a soft thing to say, but I think the lad deserves a chance with what him and his family have been going through. 

"We're going to give him an opportunity to see what he can do. It's been really frustrating so far because he hasn't been able to play, but we're now in a position where we can play him as an overaged player in youth team games and he can also play in the Cumberland Cup games. 

"Those games will give us a chance to have a proper look at him then see where he goes from there. We think he could develop into something that could be a good prospect."

During his time in England, Dudik has also featured for Rotherham United UFCA NWC in the National Football Youth League.

The young Ukrainian's arrival is not believed to be the final piece of January recruitment at Brunton Park.

Dudik appears more of a development project, whilst Simpson remains keen to bring in another senior attacker before next Thursday's transfer deadline.