Young striker Joe Hugill’s move to Manchester United was confirmed by the club website earlier on Friday.
The Guardian had reported in May that an agreement was in place for United to sign the 16-year-old striker.
Now the move has gone through and Hugill has had his say on the switch.
Sending a message on Instagram he thanked former club Sunderland, and expressed his excitement at joining ‘the biggest club in the world’.
Bright talent who has path to success
Hugill stood out for Sunderland last season amid a terrible run of form for their bottom placed under-23 team.
At just 16-years-old he began the season with the under-18s, and then earned a role for the under-23s, scoring twice against top of the table West Ham.
He will be looking to follow the example of Mason Greenwood at Manchester United, who scored at a prolific rate for the under-18s before being fast-tracked into the under-23s and then the first team.
United do not have a clear standout top young striker following Greenwood, at present. Instead there are several who are capable of shining, like Dillon Hoogewerf, Mateo Mejia and Deji Sotona, but none of them have stepped up to the under-23s yet and separated themselves as the top option.
So there is an opportunity there for Hugill to shine next season at academy level if he hits the ground running.
He is a tall, gangly young striker, who if he fills out, could become a real powerhouse and difficult opponent for defenders to deal with.
With his Sunderland teammate Logan Pye, a left-back, also joining the club, United will have high hopes for the new addition.
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