West Ham reject opportunity to sign former Man United defender

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has decided against signing free agents Mikael Silvestre and Anthony Vanden Borre.

Allardyce had been running the rule over the pair, as he looks to bolster his defence, but he was not suitably impressed during the pair's short-term trials.

Silvestre, who is without a club since leaving Werder Bremen in the summer, was hoping to make West Ham his third Premier League club after stints at Manchester United and Arsenal.

Meanwhile, former Portsmouth man Vanden Borre, who can operate at right-back or right midfield, is back in England after leaving Genk.

But the future of fellow defender John Mensah is still unclear, following his trial with Big Sam and the Hammers.