Ngog's brace 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.
Ngog, who hit eight goals last season, had been linked with a loan move away from Anfield with West Brom keen on signing him, 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." Liverpool's next outing is a friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday, a game which Hodgson has confirmed will see Joe Cole make his Reds debut while fellow England internationals Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson should all also get a run out.
No comments:
Post a Comment