Hughes up for 'challenge' of trying to save Carlisle

Mark Hughes won 158 of his 466 games as a Premier League manager

Mark Hughes says he is primed for the challenge of trying to keep Carlisle United in the EFL.

Former Wales and Manchester United great Hughes replaced the sacked Mike Williamson as Carlisle's new head coach on Thursday.

The Cumbrians are bottom of League Two, five points from safety and staring at successive relegations.

"It's a challenge," he told BBC Radio Cumbria. "It's a challenge for everybody, myself, the staff, the players.

"Everybody just has to come together and make sure this club is in the EFL at the end of the season."

Hughes' first game is away at Grimsby Town on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

This is Hughes' first job since he left fellow League Two club Bradford City in October 2023 after 18 months with the west Yorkshire club.

After a glittering playing career, and a managerial career spent at six Premier League clubs and in international football with Wales, his time at Bradford was Hughes' first spell in the fourth tier.

But he believes that the "fundamentals" of a successful team are the same at any level.

"The reality is fundamentals never change, no matter what level you are competing at," he said.

"They remain a constant. We'll re-emphasise the things I think are important and things that will enable the players to have confidence that everyone is singing from the same page.

"But I've seen enough in the building to feel confident that we can get out of this."