Hammers make Mellor move

Mellor, who hit a brace for the Reds against Aberdeen on Tuesday, is highly-regarded at Anfield and a temporary move to the London side could be seen as an ideal chance to give the former Manchester City trainee some valuable first-team experience.

"Neil is a very good player and lots of clubs tried to get him on loan last year," admitted Brooking in an interview with Liverpool's official website.

"Liverpool see him as one for the future and in the interim we hope he can help us. He has a good attitude and we hope he will do well as foil for Jermain Defoe and David Connolly."