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Football News: Is Will Hughes Really That Good

Is Will Hughes Really That Good
Image from: backpagefootball.com

This summer will tell us a lot about just how good Derby County youngster Will Hughes really is. Being left out of an England U21 match by Gareth Southgate (how on earth did he get that role anyway? Do the FA want to fail miserably?) tells us little, as we all know that England is run by clueless buffoons with no idea about football.

No, what will really tell us how good he is will be this summer transfer window. Not because, as usual, Hughes will be linked with all and sundry, as many clubs are tracking him, but because the last Derby County manager has washed up at Mike Ashley's Sports Direct United FC, sorry I mean Newcastle United FC, in the Premier League.

Previous managers who had worked with Hughes had not stepped up a division and so were not in a position to attempt to sign him, Steve McClaren is a different matter. He potentially has the resources, if allowed to use them of course, to move for Hughes, to make a meaningful bid for a player who has been hyped up repeatedly since he first broke into the Rams' first team.

If McClaren really rates him as highly as was suggested while managing the Rams, rather than just talked him up in the hope of selling him for a ridiculous fee which he could have used to improve the squad, then he will surely target him as a signing. It is not like the Toon do not require a player like him, there are few, if any, areas of the team that are not in desperate need of strengthening.

With little in the way of quality youth bursting to emerge from their academy, Newcastle really need to invest in younger players to keep the team competitive in the top flight and avoid another last day battle against the drop. Hughes stands out as a player that should be first on the list to be brought in, if he is all that he is hyped up to be. So Mr. McClaren, is Hughes the man you want?

Written by Tris Burke June 25 2015 07:50:02