Keith Curle has hinted that he may pep up his strikeforce at Carlisle United when the emergency loan window opens next week.

The Blues boss said he is considering reinforcements up front despite making no permanent additions on transfer deadline day.

Carlisle have not been short of goals this term, with Tuesday’s 1-0 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy defeat at Port Vale their first game in eight without scoring.

But manager Curle said he is staying open-minded about the need for further goal threats, with Charlie Wyke out injured.

The United boss said: “There’s still more to come from the squad that we’ve got and it’s only fair that I extend it fully.

“We might be a little bit short centre-forward wise, but within a week from now the loan window will open and we’ve got a few targets lined up if need be.

“That said, we’re confident with the work that Dolly [physio Neil Dalton] is going to do with Charlie Wyke so that he’s going to come back in.

“We also have Steven Rigg today who we looked at in a lone striker role on Tuesday, which is part of his learning and development. It’s a different way of him having to play the game and I thought he did very well.”

Jabo Ibehre has been carrying Carlisle’s main goalscoring threat so far and will tomorrow learn whether his nine goals in seven games in August have earned him the League Two player of the month award.

Veteran Derek Asamoah, also a sub against Vale, is Curle’s other main option up front as he prepares for Saturday’s visit of Barnet.

Curle will be able to move in the loan market from next Wednesday having missed out on a number of targets before Tuesday’s deadline.

That included a Championship player who the Blues were unable to contact despite gaining permission from his club to open

talks.

Wyke, meanwhile, is sidelined for several weeks with a broken metatarsal.

But Curle’s other forward, Kevin Osei, is getting closer to a return after the ankle injury he sustained at Plymouth on August 18.

“Kevin is just back in field-based training,” Curle said.

“He’s still running with a bit of a limp, but Dolly says he was running with a limp before he got injured. He’s one of the quickest limpers I’ve seen.”