Paul Simpson, the manager of Carlisle United, has made hints that Luke Plange would rejoin Crystal Palace, his parent organization.
After being promoted to League One, Carlisle United made a move to get the striker on loan in order to increase their alternatives up top.
Plange, 21, is set to have his contract expire next week following the Cumbrians’ match against Exeter City this weekend. He has netted two goals in 26 outings across all categories for the Cumbrians.
According to the News & Star, Simpson has given an update on the player’s circumstances at Brunton Park, saying, “To be honest, I haven’t even spoken to Crystal Palace about it yet.” His loan expires the following week, so I’ll contact with them about it and maybe have more information by the time we speak again the following week.
“It’s probably fair to say the loan hasn’t worked out as well as we wanted for all parties. We’ll find out where we are with it, we’ll see what options we’ve got, what we can do and we’ll go from there.”
Carlisle United loan latest
Plange’s move to Carlisle hasn’t worked out, as Simpson hinted to, and a return to Crystal Palace would likely be beneficial to both sides.
It would help clear a spot in the Cumbrians’ roster this month as they try to add more players to increase their chances of making it through the third division.
Plange was signed by Arsenal before being acquired by Derby County in 2021. When the Rams were in the Championship, he made his debut for the first team and scored three goals in nine games to win a transfer to Selhurst Park.
The England youth international was loaned out to the Belgian team Molenbeek during his first year there, and he has yet to play a competitive game for Roy Hodgson’s team. The next winter, he was cleared to work with Lincoln to advance his development, but he failed to score in 18 games across all competitions with the Imps.
That form has continued into his current contract with Carlisle, where he has once again struggled to score goals. Nevertheless, Simpson’s team defeated Port Vale 2-1 on New Year’s Day to secure a significant victory.
Now, three points separate them from safety.
