Walsall defender Rhys Weston has returned to the club and will be considered for selection against Carlisle on Saturday after a trial at Motherwell.

The out-of-contract right-back spent two days with the Scottish Premier League outfit, after manager Craig Brown invited him to Fir Park to try to fill his problematic position.

Weston’s wife lives in Glasgow and a move north would appeal, but the 29-year-old is back at the Saddlers’ Essington training base and boss Chris Hutchings will allow him to play.

He said: “Rhys is back with us, his family are still living up in Scotland and he asked if he could go up there and spend a couple of days with them.

“We had no problem with that and he’ll be training as normal and available. He’s an experienced player but the scenario of his wife living up there isn’t ideal.

“It’s not an hour away, it’s three or four hours so it’s a problem getting up there and back with the amount of games we’ve had. That’s the scenario and we’ll see how it goes.

“I haven’t spoken to Motherwell. It was him and his agent dealing with it and he went with my permission.”

Motherwell boss Brown has had to use midfielder Tom Hateley at right-back this season and sees Weston as a viable option for his Europa League chasing side.

He said: “Rhys can play anywhere in defence. He looks a good professional and, as we’re quite a young side, he provides a lot of experience.

“If players don’t re-engage who are out of contract, we’ve got to ensure we’ve got cover and options.”

Weston could play if 19-year-old Darryl Westlake fails to shake off an ankle injury which sidelined him for last weekend’s 3-1 win over Hartlepool.

Hutchings said: “Darryl twisted his ankle on Friday last week, we thought he was going to be alright, but had a fitness test and unfortunately he wasn’t.

“He’s just strained a little bit of a ligament, but should be available depending on what his reaction is.”

Darren Byfield is also nearing full fitness after a knee injury ruled him out of the last two games, but Dwayne Mattis is not yet ready after a persistent Achilles problem.