Baggies miss out on striker swoop

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has insisted West Brom target David Ngog is staying at Liverpool after his European brace.

Ngog's double made it a perfect start for Hodgson in his first competitive game in charge of the Reds on Thursday night as they eased to a 2-0 win over Macedonian minnows FK Rabotnicki.

West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo had previously expressed his desire to secure a deal for Ngoog, with a both loan and permanent deals suggested, but Hodgson praised his performance on Thursday and revealed he has no plans to sell the Frenchman.

"I can't stop players being linked with other clubs. I certainly have never discussed him leaving," he said.

"I think Ngog has done well in the pre-season matches so far and he has worked very hard in the training sessions. I was pleased that he crowned his performance with two goals.

"I thought his target play, his general movement and his ability to keep the ball for us was also very good. But front players need goals and that will be a very big weight off his mind. It will mean he doesn't have to worry too much about the coming matches."

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