West Ham United assistant manager Neil McDonald has formally withdrawn from the running for the vacant manager's position at Carlisle United.

The 48-year-old, who has been Sam Allardyce's assistant at former club Blackburn Rovers, as well as at Upton Park, has previously managed the Cumbrians.

A statement from Carlisle's managing director, John Nixon, read: “Obviously there has been a lot of speculation in the local press about Neil McDonald, and I think it’s only fair to say that he has formally withdrawn his name from the process and we respect that decision totally. 

“That has made a difference to the short list because he was a strong candidate, as far as we were concerned. He’s given it a great deal of thought over the last five to ten days and he has spoken to us about the situation today.

"He has told us that he has discussed it with his family, having thought about it long and hard, and he has decided that it isn’t the right career move for him to make at this point in time.”

McDonald was sacked as Carlisle manager in 2007 after a season at Brunton Park, before moving to Sweden to manage Ostersunds FK for five weeks.