Joe Hardy only joined Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League giants Liverpool a month ago; now the former Brentford starlet is set for a FA Cup outing.
Joe Hardy is set to make his Liverpool debut in the FA Cup replay against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night, according to the Mirror (4 February, page 48), just a month after the young forward signed from Brentford.
Now, it’s not as if the Bees are unfamiliar with seeing their most exciting players lured away from Griffin Park by the bright lights of the Premier League.
But, while Ezri Konsa, Chris Mepham, Andre Grey and co were first-team regulars at Brentford by the time they secured big-money moves away, Hardy sealed a shock switch to Liverpool before he had even made his senior debut.
A 21-year-old striker who scored 40 goals in 80 games for the Championship high-flyers at B team level, Hardy is a natural number nine who is at his best when dominating centre-halves and finishing with ice-cool efficiency from one-on-ones.
And, just four weeks after he swapped London for Liverpool, The Mirror reports that the one-time Manchester City youngster is set to lead the line at Anfield in an FA Cup fourth round replay.
Say what you want about Jurgen Klopp’s decision to field the kids against third-tier Shrewsbury, this represents a golden opportunity for the likes of Yasser Larouci, Pedro Chirivella, Neco Williams and co to prove themselves in a high-pressure game.
And should Hardy take his chance with both hands, a Premier League outing might not be too far away.
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