Carlisle United are poised to clinch a deal for Dutch winger Luis Pedro as Keith Curle peps up his squad for the 10-game run-in.

The former Under-19 international is set to sign a short-term contract after impressing on trial.

Curle expects 25-year-old Pedro, a free agent after a spell in Romania, to be in his squad for the Good Friday trip to Yeovil.

The Blues were unable to sign the former Feyenoord player in time for the 1-1 draw with Wycombe but now hope to complete the paperwork, including international clearance.

Angola-born Pedro was at Saturday's game having caught the eye in a trial outing against Barrow last Tuesday - and is set for a second reserve outing at Burnley tomorrow.

Curle believes the speedy wide player can add flair and goals to United.

The manager said: "He is a player that's got an air of arrogance about him in how he plays.

"He can take the game from the middle area into the final third, he can score goals and has a bit of quality.

"We weren't able to get it done by Friday because of some of the paperwork, but we are hoping everything should be in place to add him to the squad for Easter weekend."

Free agent Pedro started his career in Maastricht and also had spells with fellow Dutch clubs Go Ahead Eagles and Heracles Almelo.

He then had stints in Bulgaria with Botev Plovdiv and Levski Sofia, before his most recent spell at Romanian outfit Targu Mures.

His arrival will be Curle's second signing in quick succession after Sunderland midfielder Martin Smith made his debut as a substitute in the Wycombe draw.

The 20-year-old is also likely to be involved in tomorrow's reserve outing, with Curle giving his first-team regulars today and tomorrow off.

On the Black Cats prospect, United's manager said: "The two things that most impress me about Martin are his maturity as an individual and his hunger.

"He wants to have a career, he listens well, wants to get on the ball and has a good range of passing."

Curle also admitted United's failure to take chances against Wycombe could lead him back into the market for a striker.

While Charlie Wyke grabbed his 12th of the season to cancel out Sam Wood's opener, the Blues spurned several chances to win the game.

Though Mark Gillespie saved a Joe Jacobson penalty, Carlisle are now six points outside the play-off places.

Curle said: "It might be that we need a different option in attack, which we are looking for."

United's boss insists his team are not giving up on their promotion hopes despite going five games without a win.

He added: "When I came into the club, it hadn't won in 17 games and you’ve got to start with a solid platform of being difficult to beat.

"We are that. We will start scoring goals again. Everybody wants to get in the play-offs and we've got no divine right to get there - but we'll give everything we can."

Visiting boss Gareth Ainsworth is considering appealing Marcus Bean's sending off, meanwhile. "It was one of the softest red cards I have ever seen," Ainsworth said of the midfielder's challenge on Mark Ellis.