Carlisle United have signed Sunderland midfielder Martin Smith on a loan deal to the end of the season.

Smith, 20, first joined the Sunderland Academy at U8 level and went on to earn a two-year scholarship in the summer of 2012.

The midfielder has since become a key member of the club's U21 side featuring in the majority of their fixtures this season as team captain, whilst also being named in the first-team squad for the trip to Swansea City.

Carlisle head of recruitment Lee Dykes told carlisleunited.co.uk: “Martin has been training with us for a couple of weeks now and that came about through the good links we have with Sunderland.

"We want to thank Kevin Ball for the part he has played in making this happen because he has given the player a bit of time to show us what he can do."