Carlisle United: Mike Williamson may have spoken to academy product ahead of January | OneFootball

There are going to be some tough new year decisions made by the Blues.

There's expected to be some transfer movement in both directions for Carlisle United in January, with a few players having already been spoken to about their Brunton Park futures.

Mike Williamson's first transfer window as Carlisle's head coach will be an interesting one. It's also going to be the club's first with sporting director Rob Clarkson at the helm. His recruiting background has got the hopes of supporters high for next month, but acquisitions won't be the only point of focus.

A couple of players will already know that there is a chance of them being moved on in January, as Williamson previously revealed.

He expanded on those comments before the Newport County match, and said, via the News and Star: "There are lads here that aren't getting the game time that they desire, and I've had conversations with one or two, but at the minute all they can do is continually turn up every day and work hard and force their way back into the squad and onto the pitch as much as possible.

"And then when the window opens, that's when the conversations will start."

Some players who have been out of sorts of late have less to fear than others. One person who could be on the head coach's potential exit list and may have been spoken to already is academy product Taylor Charters.

Taylor Charters may be at risk of Carlisle United exit in January

The midfielder's injury history is well known. His hamstrings haven't helped his short playing career but once he got over his latest injury, he quickly moved into Williamson's starting XI. However, since the addition of Kadeem Harris and the fellow return to fitness of other attacking options like Georgie Kelly and Jordan Jones, he has dropped out of the squad entirely.

There has been no mention of another knock or problem for the 23-year-old, which makes it more concerning that he hasn't been picked over the likes of Josh Vela, who may also be a departure candidate.

Part of the trouble with him is that no manager has been able to 100 percent establish what his best position is. Charters has played as a central midfielder, a wing-back, a wide forward, and an inside forward, most recently, under United's head coach.

He has attributes that lend himself to all of those different positions but his injuries and the fact he hasn't got one standout ability compared to the rest of the squad has made it hard for him to lock down a regular position in Carlisle's starting XI.

Charters came through the club's academy system and has been one of the few who have successfully made that transition from the youth team to the first team, which he deserves huge credit for.

He was given a new two-year deal after the club won promotion to League One via the play-offs, two summers ago. When next summer rolls around, that deal will have expired, making the chances of a January exit more likely.

Taylor Charters can certainly work his way back into Mike Williamson's thinking

There is absolutely no guarantee that this campaign will be Charters' last with the Blues. Because of his versatility, there's a good chance that he could slot in for an injured or suspended player here and there and eventually become a mainstay in the matchday squads, providing he is in good health.

The fear for him is that new recruits in January may push him further and further back in the queue.

Carlisle have a decision to make on him, either now or in six months' time. January additions may force their hand, but the current signs, unfortunately, don't look great for a player that supporters want to see succeed. After all, he is one of their own.