Micky Mellon has bolstered his attacking options for the League Two promotion run-in by re-signing Josh Hawkes on a permanent deal, the club has announced.

The 22-year-old moved to Prenton Park deal on a loan deal from Sunderland at the start of the season, but was recalled by his parent club earlier this month.

But having impressed in his time at the Birkenhead club, Rovers have now secured the midfielder's services on a permanent contract that runs until the summer of 2024.

Speaking to the club's official website, Hawkes said: “I’m delighted. As soon as I heard Tranmere wanted to make it permanent, it was something I was keen to do.

“It’s really important for me at this stage of my career to be playing week in, week out. Tranmere have given me that opportunity and hopefully I can push on here.

“The team are doing really well at the moment and that was another factor in my decision to come back, as well as my connection with the fans. I just can’t wait to get going again now.”

Micky Mellon said: “We’re really pleased to bring Josh in and now he becomes one of our own.

“It’s terrific for us that we’re growing our own team with our own players which is an important step forward for us.

“We’re building these relationships with these clubs now such as Celtic, Rangers and Sunderland which benefits both clubs and we’ll see if we can keep improving the team in the future in this way.”

Hawkes is Tranmere's second signing of the day, after Lee O'Connor, who was also on loan at Prenton Park from Celtic, put pen to paper on a permanent deal of his own.

Tranmere are looking forward to their biggest game of the season on Saturday when they host league leaders Forest Green Rovers at Prenton Park.

The Whites are currently second in League Two, seven points behind Forest Green, who have a game in hand.