Former Leeds United and Sunderland defender Ian Harte is being backed to enter management by his Carlisle United boss Greg Abbott.

Abbott told the Daily Mail: "He has smile on his face again, which is the key. There is nothing to stop him going again and he still has genuine ability and desire. I would not hesitate to take him for a Championship club while he is in the right frame of mind and he definitely is at the moment.

"Hopefully that will be with us for a while. He has missed a lot of football but his appetite is good and he wants to play in every game.

"He knows football is his job, his profession. He has had the period of reality when you realise that life is difficult outside of football. Now he wants to play because he knows it is what he has done best in his life and it is all he has ever known.

"I think a coaching role would be very good for him. He is very player friendly, he knows the game. He is one of those who has wondered about what you do after football and it is scary to a lot of people."