Carlisle United boss Chris Beech says the club are hoping for some “good news” soon on the transfer front.

The Cumbrians are closing in on a second January signing.

Beech also said the Blues have further irons in the fire to add to their squad at a time four players are now ruled out because of positive Covid-19 tests.

On the recruitment front, Beech told the News & Star this morning: “We’re definitely working. Hopefully we might have some good news [soon] – there’s a possibility of that.

“We’ve also got a couple of irons in different fires.”

United last week signed Offrande Zanzala, while Beech said the way his available numbers have been affected by the club’s latest Covid test results has also affected his thinking.

“You always have what we would class our best XI, but that never is the best XI,” he said.

“Your plan is always adaptable to get to where you want to try and get to.

“Normally I would want to try and have an insurance of, ‘well, if that’s not quite right, who can be’ but in our current climate it looks like you need another three layers on that orange peel to make sure we’re still competent and can compete when we receive bad news.

“That’s a massive challenge for football clubs and for me.

“I wouldn’t have said [anything was pressing] if you look at the balance of the squad, the honesty of it, the numbers, how I’ve managed to get seven or eight in terms of being available for different departments, defenders, midfielders and attackers – the squad’s very balanced.

“But looking at this week and the testing process, I’d say we’re probably about 15 players short!

“To have four players knocked out, 24 hours before a game, that would a hard blow for a team that’s got too many players, never mind one that’s running how we run.”

United’s players have this morning been undergoing their second round of testing this week with the results yet to be confirmed publicly.

It follows Monday’s tests which saw three players test positive, while a fourth player has also since tested positive after showing symptoms on Tuesday morning.

The first three, Beech said, have not shown any symptoms but the fourth is ill.

The quartet, who will now self-isolate and miss Carlisle’s game at Mansfield on Saturday and next Tuesday’s home clash with Leyton Orient, have not been named.

Beech, though, said one of United’s teenage players was the fourth.

He said: “Three out of the four players that aren’t available for us are 100 per cent fully fit, no symptoms.

“The youngest of the lads who’s just broken into the first team, he’s 18 years old…he’s actually ill. So hopefully he’ll make a good recovery.”

The two 18-year-olds who featured for United in their last game at Walsall were Taylor Charters, who started the game, and Lewis Bell, who came on as a substitute.

Beech said his players were all doing their best to avoid infection whilst away from the club.

But he added: “I’ve got four players with it, all from different areas, three from Carlisle, one from the north-east, all different age ranges, all different living circumstances – one’s with parents, one’s on their own in a flat, one’s on their own and the other lives with family.

“It’s very difficult to stop the virus coming.”