Carlisle United manager Greg Abbott has distanced the club from a move for Newcastle United goalkeeper Steve Harper.

Harper will leave the Magpies when his contract expires next month, but Abbott has admitted that he would not be able to offer the 38-year-old a regular spot in the team.

"I think Steve Harper would be horrified if I said he was going to play second-fiddle to Mark Gillespie and spend another two years on the bench," he told the News & Star.

"If he is going to carry on playing, he will want to play, especially at a League One club. He has been a decent player and a top guy."

Harper has been with Newcastle since 1993.