WARRINGTON Town boss Paul Carden will not be actively looking to replace striker Jamie McDonald, writes Matt Turner.

The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that McDonald has left Cantilever Park to rejoin former club City of Liverpool FC, citing work commitments as his reason for dropping down two divisions.

READ: More on Jamie McDonald's departure

Tony Gray, Josh Amis and Richard Brodie remain as Carden’s striking options, while new signing Jack Dunn is also capable of operating as a central attacker.

Carden says the departure of last season’s 17-goal top scorer “opens a gap” in his squad but insists he is happy with his options.

“We have to move on from it, we’ve still got three very good strikers,” he said.

“We’ve brought Jack Dunn in as well who can play up there.

“We’re not short of options, but it’s always a shame to see a good player go.

“I suppose it opens a gap, but it’s not one I’m going to go hunting for. We’ve got three recognised, established strikers who score goals at this level.

“We’re not light in the attacking area at all, which is what I wanted. That was our issue last season.”

As well as former England under 19 international Dunn, Yellows have added two more new signings to their squad this week.

The experienced David Raven, 33, adds much-needed defensive cover, while former Wrexham captain Robbie Evans, 23, bolsters the ranks in midfield.

Despite Raven’s arrival, Carden still hopes to add at least one more central defender to his squad after revealing skipper Jay McCarten will face a longer period of recovery than anticipated from ankle surgery.

“When Jay had his op last week, they discovered a bit more damage than they expected,” he said.

“He’ll be a little bit longer, so it’s important we get at least one more centre-half in, but we’ll be looking for two.

“We have one or two options at the minute who are with us, so we’ll see how it is.

“There’s phonecalls going on constantly at the moment to see what’s about.

“We’ll be getting another defender in before the weekend to have a look at as someone who would be available on loan.”

Yellows travel to Clitheroe – now managed by ex-Town boss Stuart Mellish – in their latest pre-season friendly tomorrow, kick off 7.45pm.