Dennis can make an impact for Carlisle, according to Hughes

Carlisle United boss Mark Hughes hopes he can get the best out of ex-MK Dons striker Matt Dennis as they bid to avoid relegation to the National League.

The former Manchester United and Barcelona front man took over at Bruton Park earlier this month following the sacking of previous Dons head coach Mike Williamson after just four months in charge.

Dennis was released by Dons on transfer deadline day, allowing him to sign for another club after he had been out on loan at non-league Rochdale for a couple of months. Having trained with the club, under the watch of Ian Watson, Williamson’s assistant, Dennis penned a deal with Carlisle last week, making his debut against Newport and then coming off the bench too against Colchester on Saturday.

Having made only two substitute appearances for Dons at the start of the season, and then only six more outings for Dale, Dennis is severely lacking match fitness, according to Hughes, but feels the 22-year-old’s physical attributes could prove vital for the Cumbrians in the run-in.

“We saw it in brief glimpses [on his debut at Newport],” said Hughes of the new arrival. “He's way off match fitness in terms of being able to start and finish games, but he can come on in the games that we have in the immediate future and just have an impact for us.

“He's got good presence, he understands the game and what's required. I think he'll do okay but we've just got to get him up to speed quickly.”

Speaking about his first impressions of Dennis, Hughes added: “He came in when we saw him for the first time for a couple of days, and I liked what I saw. We had a window of opportunity in terms of how many spaces we had in the squad.”