Paul Simpson says he needs maximum commitment from every Carlisle United player next season – something that wasn’t the case in 2023/24.

The Blues manager says certain “standards” were not met behind the scenes at Brunton Park as the team slid to relegation.

And, ahead of a summer rebuild, Simpson says that everyone in his squad, be that existing players or new additions, must buy into the cause without reservation.

Carlisle are preparing for life back in League Two after a poor third-tier campaign.

Simpson, who is hoping to make a number of signings to overhaul the squad, said: “My challenge to players – and it's the challenge that I put to them is that I want you to come and be really honest with me and tell me to my face that you are 100 per cent committed to this football club for next season.

“You have to come and buy into everything.

“You've got to come and buy into the standards that we want to set because the honest truth is the standards that we set weren't maintained throughout the season.”

Simpson, in post-season interviews, has referred to a negative “atmosphere” in the changing room.

He suggested some players were acting as though they knew they were going to be leaving the club.

Released skipper Paul Huntington, in an interview with the News & Star, also suggested there were not enough good characters in the squad, with some players not fully behind the team when they were left out.

“I think it happens when you're losing games,” added Simpson.

“What happens in football is that when players are not in the team they become better players because everybody thinks they should be playing.

“But there's a reason why they got left out of the team and there's reasons that happen day-to-day why they don't get back in the team. “When you're losing games, everything's wrong. I get it, and everybody wants to blame something that's maybe not even there. So, we just have to accept it.

“And if you want to be successful, you have to [be totally committed] in everything you do.

“Whether it be in your recovery after games, whether it's your preparation before games, whether it's work on the grass, work in the gym…anything that you do, you have to do it to the best of your ability.

“I always say, you have to be your best. I'm not saying to be the best, I'm not saying you can be better than Cristiano Ronaldo, but you can be your best.

“And I don't think that as a group we can look in the mirror and say we were our best last season.”