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Name: Will Hughes Date of Birth: 07/04/1995 Height: 1.85m (6’1) Nationality: English Club: Derby County Preferred Foot: Left Preferred Position: Central Midfield
Born in Weybridge, Surrey, Will Hughes is another one of the number of prestigious premature talents that the United Kingdom has to offer. It is no secret that he is eminently regarded as one of the finest youngsters in the present age. Signing with Derby County as a first year scholar in 2011, his signature is one of the most sought after in the UK at the moment. At only 18 years of age, his talents have impressed so greatly, even the Catalan giants Barcelona have compiled a complete dossier on him in regards to an approach.
Hughes, first caught the attention of Nigel Clough in a 1-0 victory over Port Vale, where the young Englishman performed a superior solo performance. Within 4 days, Hughes was promoted to the senior bench for a clash between Derby and Peterborough. He received his senior debut that day, albeit only for 4 minutes, which ended in a 3-2 defeat. Subsequent to his arrival into the senior team, it was inevitable that it was only a matter of time before the top tier English clubs would have their scouts situated within the stands.
In recent times, clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal & Fulham have all expressed interest, even Martin Jol made his praise public, “Believe me, there are probably 10 clubs in the Premier League having a look at him. He is one of these wonderful talent, so he is always on lists”. Having said this, what are the young talismans pros and cons?
Pros
Hughes acquires the concealed attribute of an engine, disputably the most important as a central midfielder. Controlling the centremost point of the pitch, takes an immense amount of energy. This being a flawless trait for any professional athlete to have, and Hughes is showing he does indeed have all the energy in the world to burn.
Predominantly Hughes would be seen as an attacking type of footballer, but he has shown spectators that he is no stranger to the art of tackling. Not only is the timing of a tackle a great characteristic to have in itself, but it shows us as supporters’ two things. Hughes also has a defensive mind, as well as an attacking one. A player that can break forward, but can equally retreat to defend as quick, truly it is one brilliant trait to be able to develop & perfect.
As mentioned, Hughes is an attacking type of player, and what occurs in time with being an attacking type of central midfielder, is distance shooting. Given that it takes a vast amount of confidence and ability to be capable of drilling a football 20-30 yards and to find your target, he has demonstrated this remarkably to date. Demonstrated it so well, that even being in the presence of senior veterans, he does relish the chance to have a longshot, as his 20 yard strike that saw Derby equalize against Millwall proves.
Having said that the starlet from Surrey previously has the engine required, attacking and defensive mind-set desired & the distance shooting trait starting to develop hugely, it can now be mentioned that two of his leading features would be his touches and movement. There is so many aspects that can be discussed about the teenager while he has possession of the ball. His elegant touches and passing, is a joy to watch. Reminding many of the Kaká who graced Italy for years, his first touch, is exquisite. The way he takes control of a pass, and angles it into a forward break towards the opposition’s box is quite simply dazzling. He has that burst of energy to take on his marker and beat him quiet calmly. The dribbling skills he is developing will no doubt see him man the center point of Wembley for his country at senior level in the coming years.
Cons
These cannot be called cons, nor can they be called faults or concerns. These are just some of the attributes is which will be developed greater in time, more so in the latter stages of his career. Going hand in hand with elegant touches and movement, is vision and positioning.
Being at only 18, he isn’t going to have the vision and positioning of Xavi Hernandez, but he is not Xavi Hernandez, he is Will Hughes. Time is on his side to develop these two traits. The vision to identify a teammates movement, to time the pass and play it with perfect pace and weight so your teammate can take it in his stride, is an ability which will flourish over a period of time if the right nourishment is given, along with consistent game time. Positioning, also is something that develops within time, especially quicker if a starting place is cemented as the player would know his teammates inside out. Which, in Hughes case, wherever he ends up, once a place is sealed, positioning will come in just a matter of time.
There is no question Will Hughes will indeed be playing for a greater team in the forthcoming years, as he possesses the immense talent that seen him win Sammy Crooks Young Player of the Year 2012-13, and will no doubt see him win many more awards. He is an exceptional talent and whatever team people support in this day and age, that has to be credited by many. Seeing home-grown talent like Hughes, is a brilliant step in building a future for English football.
