One thing that strikes you when watching clips of Jordan Jones over the years is his shooting ability from distance, or wide-ish angles: clean, powerful, ambitious, accurate.

Jones has never been a prolific scorer – his best return in a club season is four – but that need be no drawback if the rest is good and consistent.

It is his creativity and attacking intent that Carlisle have signed, rather than his out-and-out-goals return. Yet wouldn’t it also be welcome, not to say about time, if Jones added a little extra to United’s ability to worry teams with his shooting?

The Blues scored six goals from outside the box last season, and only one of those was by a player still at the club (Luke Armstrong against Barnsley).

It is not as if all those six were what you’d term the result of dangerous, polished, 25-yard shooting or similar, either. Jack Armer’s goal against Northampton Town was a cross that got lucky, Jordan Gibson’s third at Bolton Wanderers was a counter-attack after the keeper had gone up for a corner, Armstrong’s was an unerring finish into an under-protected goal after some slapstick early defending.

They all count, of course. Yet the product of raw shooting skill from outside the area was most evidently on show when Owen Moxon powered one past Fleetwood Town on Boxing Day, having also curled in a free-kick against the same opponents a few months earlier. Gibson earned a point against Peterborough United from a long-range shot, and also saw a deflected shot loop in at Bolton.

What United haven’t had, certainly without Moxon or Gibson, is someone vaguely, never mind consistently, dangerous from this range. With any luck Jones will increase their lines of attack here.

Even if the accent must be on making Carlisle play better as a unit, help them work their way to box and goal with greater shape, the x-factor of putting your laces through it from distance is never a bad trait to have.

Anything that can put opponents on notice a little more like this will add to United’s capabilities.