One To Watch - Will Hughes

Will Hughes emerged last year as one of the hottest properties in English football due to his startling performances for Derby County in the championship. Hughes is a versatile midfield player who proved himself capable of playing in many different midfield positions for Derby last season, ranging from a box to box midfielder to a deeper role, where he controls the tempo of the game. He featured in 38 games for Derby last season scoring 2 goals.  He also gained recognition for his good form with Derby County by winning the football league young player of the month award for November. His form has not gone unnoticed with interest from most of the top 6 in the premier division and there has even been rumours that Barcelona have prepared a dossier on the player. At the age of 17, Hughes was called up to Stuart Pearce’s under 21 squad and came on as a 65^th minute substitute in the game against Northern Ireland u21 making him the second youngest player to play for England at the under 21 level only beaten by Theo Walcott.

The strengths in his game are his energy on the pitch. He has great fitness this is showcased by his 35 game run in the Derby first team this season at such a young age and in a physical league like the championship, it was a very impressive feat. His on the pitch strengths also include his technique and his vision. He idolises Xavi and Ineniesta and this comes through in the way he plays, with his amazing passing ability and creativity he has been a nightmare for other championship teams this season.

Several Derby County fans commented on his excellent ball control and the potential they feel he has. @MrRamtastic said, "His first touch is usually a perfectly placed pass" and @tweet_taylor00 commented "He's a great prospect for the future and a great talent to have with us at Derby". @DCFC_RParker also mentioned his ball skills "In a game of two-touch football he only needs one".

The weaknesses in Hughes game is his lack of goals, he’s scored 2 in 38 appearances. This needs to improve next season as a player in Hughes’ position should be aiming for at least 8 goals a season. At times it has been like he has been afraid to shoot and prefers to set up his fellow players. Another weakness in Hughes  game is his skinny stature. At 6’1” he only weighs in at 74kg, this does show with his presence on the pitch and could lead to him being muscled off the ball in the very physical championship league.

What I expect for Hughes this season is for him to stay at Derby County for another year especially after signing a new contract until 2016 in April. If he stays clear of injury, he could go on to develop yet further this year and getting guaranteed regular games at Derby will no doubt help his development. What I would like to see from Hughes this year is get himself on the score sheet more often and start daring to shoot more often but if he has another season like last season there is no doubt we will see him in the premiership very soon.

Written by @jmwilliamson23 - Quotes by @ItsBizNews