PETER Beardsley has rejected an offer to return to his footballing roots with Carlisle United.

The Cumbrian club's 'supremo', Michael Knighton, confirmed he has failed to coax the former England international to Brunton Park, where his career kicked off 19 years ago.

Knighton is understood to have targeted Beardsley for a player-manager or player-coach role but will reveal more details of the abortive bid in the match programme for tonight's Carlisle v Grimsby Division Two game.

Beardsley, out on loan with promotion-chasing Fulham until the end of the season, still has a year to run on his contract with Wanderers.

News that he has turned down Carlisle's offer increases the likelihood that he will join his former Newcastle mentors, Kevin Keegan and Arthur Cox, at Fulham on a permanent basis in the summer.

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