Joe Hardy (footballer)


Joseph Keith Hardy is an English professional football forward who plays for Liverpool. He is a product of the Manchester City academy and began his professional career with Brentford.

Career

Manchester City

A forward or right winger, Hardy began his career with Tranmere Rovers and moved to the academy at Premier League club Manchester City at the age of 13. He progressed through the ranks and made his U18 team debut while still an U16 and signed a two-year scholarship deal at the end of the 2014–15 season. Hardy scored 11 goals in 20 U18 appearances during the 2015–16 season and showed prolific form during 2016–17, scoring 12 goals in 11 starts, before departing the Etihad Campus in March 2017.

Brentford

On 14 March 2017, Hardy joined the B team at Championship club Brentford on a three-year contract. Over the course of the following years, he scored 40 goals in 80 appearances and was voted the 2018–19 Brentford B Players' Player of the Year. Hardy gave a man of the match performance and scored two goals in Brentford B's 4–0 2019 Middlesex Senior Cup Final victory over Harrow Borough on 16 April 2019. He was frozen out of the B team during the first half of the 2019–20 season and departed the club in January 2020.

Liverpool

After an attempt to sign him during the 2019 summer transfer window had failed, Hardy transferred to the U23 team at Premier League club Liverpool in January 2020. He signed a contract running until the end of the 2019–20 season for an undisclosed fee. On 4 February, Hardy made his professional debut as a substitute for Liam Millar after 82 minutes of a 1–0 FA Cup fourth round replay win over Shrewsbury Town. He signed a contract extension in June 2020.

Personal life

Hardy attended St Winefride's Catholic Primary School in Neston and St. Anselm's College in Birkenhead.

Career statistics

Honours

Brentford B
Individual