Accrington Stanley have today completed the permanent signing of former Liverpool striker Joe Hardy on a two-year contract.
The Wirral-born striker began his career with Tranmere Rovers at the age of eight, before joining Manchester City five years later.
He progressed through the ranks at the Etihad Stadium and was a regular goalscorer for the club's Under-18s, with Hardy then departing for Brentford's B team in March 2017.
During his two-and-a-half-year spell in West London, he grabbed an impressive 40 goals in 80 appearances and was voted the the 2018/19 Brentford B Player's Player of the Year.
The 22-year-old then joined Liverpool in January 2020 for an undisclosed fee, before making his professional debut a month later in a 1-0 FA Cup fourth round replay win over Shrewsbury Town.
Hardy becomes Stanley's second signing of the summer from Liverpool, with midfielder Liam Coyle having arrived at the Wham Stadium on Monday.
John Coleman said: "Joe is a goalscorer, he gets himself in the right places at the right time and this is a good chance for him to kick-start his career.
"He had a good move from Brentford to Liverpool and it didn't really materialise for him, but we've got to hope that we can give him the service and he can take them."
Joe said: "I'm really happy to get the deal done and getting this over the line will allow me to kick on with pre-season.
"I was so excited when I heard about the interest from Accrington and it's been really easy to settle in, all the lads are great and I already knew a few of the lads beforehand.
"I like to score goals and find spaces in the box to get my shot off, so I can't wait for the season to start."
A first interview video with Joe will be uploaded to the club's official YouTube channel later in pre-season, CLICK HERE to find out more!
The move is subject to FA ratification.
Do you want to sponsor Joe?
Our sponsorship packages are priced at £180 for home or away kit, or we offer a deal of £299 for both.
To find out more information, please contact our Commercial team on 01254 356950 (Option 3) or by emailing commercial@accringtonstanley.co.uk.