Baros injury blow adds to Liverpool?s striker problems

The Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, faces a tricky decision after Sheffield United tabled a £500,000 bid for striker Neil Mellor yesterday. The Anfield club are short of strikers, a position made more serious on Wednesday when Milan Baros suffered a thigh injury on World Cup duty for the Czech Republic.

Mellor staked his claim for a first-team place with his double strike in last week's League Cup victory over Middlesbrough. Should Baros be confirmed as an absentee for the foreseeable future, joining Djibril Cissé on the sidelines after the Frenchman was ruled out for the season with a broken leg, then Mellor could be offered regular first-team football.

Liverpool previously rejected a Sheffield loan offer for Mellor. "We have tabled a bid of around £500,000 as we need a striker of his calibre," said the Blades manager, Neil Warnock, who has made offers for two other forwards. "He has good movement, an eye for a goal, and is very athletic. He's from Sheffield, and we think he would do an excellent job."

"Other clubs are interested, and it remains to be seen whether Liverpool would be prepared to sell Neil to anyone at this time, or whether they would prefer to wait until the January transfer window."

Mellor has flirted with success in a Liverpool shirt, but has yet to fulfil his potential. A spell on loan with West Ham last season was not particularly productive. Warnock believes in Mellor's quality, but he has options should Liverpool continue to spurn his advances.

"I've made bids for three strikers, all different types of player, but all of real quality," said Warnock. "It's a question of seeing which of them becomes available. If one does, I'd have to take a chance on him without knowing how the other two situations might unfold."

Baros is awaiting further tests to ascertain the extent of his injury, which is suspected to be hamstring strain. "I knew instantly that I had to come off," he said. "It's certainly worse than the last time."

The former Liverpool winger John Barnes said the club should launch another raid on La Liga for Fernando Morientes and Pablo Aimar during the January transfer window.

"Liverpool definitely need another striker now and Morientes is the best option available," said Barnes, echoing sentiments expressed by the Liverpool winger Luis Garcia last week. "He's not getting regular football at the Bernabeu with Michael Owen, Raul and Ronaldo all now ahead of him - and if Liverpool come in for you as a player, you don't turn them down".

"[Aimar has] got great pace and is very intuitive, adventurous and unpredictable, although whether Valencia would want to do business is another matter."