Bees sign teenage striker from Man City

Brentford have signed teenage striker Joe Hardy from Manchester City.

Hardy, 18, has joined on a three-year contract and will initially play for Brentford’s B side.

This season he has scored 12 goals for City’s Under-18 team, which is managed by former Brentford head coach Lee Carsley.

“Joe is a player the scouting department and I have been monitoring for quite some time,” Brentford’s head of football operations Robert Rowan told the club’s website.

“We are really pleased to welcome him to the football club today. He’s an instinctive centre-forward who is constantly looking to create opportunities for himself or his team-mates by getting in good attacking positions.”