Motherwell sign striker Luke Armstrong on loan from Carlisle

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell declared Luke Armstrong perfectly fits the profile of striker he was looking for after signing the Carlisle player on loan.

The 28-year-old became Carlisle’s record signing when he arrived from Harrogate 12 months ago but he has been allowed to seek regular football after hitting six goals for the League Two club.

Kettlewell told the club’s official website: “There have been a lot of clubs competing for Luke’s signature, so to get this over the line, we are extremely pleased.

“Luke is combative, capable of finding pockets of space in the box, and an accurate finisher. We were looking for a player who held these attributes, and Luke perfectly fit the profile.”

Motherwell say they overcame competition from Scotland and England to sign the striker until the end of the season.

Armstrong, who could make his debut against St Johnstone in Perth on Saturday, said: “The manager really sold me on his vision for the club and how I could fit into the system alongside the strikers already in the squad.

“There were other offers on the table, but I felt this one suited me and could get the best out of me as a player.

“I’m in the prime age of my career, and I felt that the challenge of the Scottish Premiership was one that I simply couldn’t miss out on.”

Armstrong had a brief spell in Scottish football with Cowdenbeath after being released by Birmingham in 2015 before ending up back at boyhood team Middlesbrough via Blyth Spartans.

After netting three goals in three games for Boro and enjoying fruitful loan spells with Gateshead and Accrington, he was taken to Salford by future Motherwell manager Graham Alexander.

Armstrong hit four goals for Salford but had a prolific loan spell with Hartlepool before scoring 31 goals in two-and-a-half seasons for Harrogate.