It was not the finest night for the Manchester United attackers on September 21 as they fluffed numerous chances to draw away to Crystal Palace.
Apparently, the missing finishing boots weren’t just limited to forwards at the club, as Joe Hugill played for Wigan Athletic in an away game at Lincoln City.
Having scored two goals in his previous game to build on his first the game before, Hugill came into the game full of confidence.
Wigan were finally starting to create for him and Hugill was doing what he does best- put the ball in the back of the net when chances present themselves.
How, then, did he remain goalless vs Lincoln City in a 0-0 draw where Wigan ended the game with 61% possession?
Here’s the breakdown of Joe Hugill’s latest display on a loan spell that had started showing signs of a breakout-
Joe Hugill vs Lincoln City
Firstly, it is an encouraging sign that Hugill has gone to Wigan and at 20, immediately established himself as the undisputed first-choice striker.
Against Lincoln City, he had a tough time of things since they defended deep, closed the space between the lines, and made it difficult for Wigan to play through.
As a result, Hugill’s biggest strengths- running onto the ball and finishing chances was nullified completely.
He was subbed off after 59 minutes, failing to continue his hot streak that saw him score three in the last two games.
In nearly an hour of play, he was peripheral to the proceedings, completing just three passes and attempting only four.
He had one sighter at goal which was off-target so, combined with just two touches in the attacking box and 12 in total, it was a game he’d want to shake off soon.
The team had to resort to playing long balls for a while and he failed to win any of his four aerial duels, something that he would want to get better at but that’s what a loan move is for.
Overall, it is a minor hiccup in a spell that looked like it was gaining momentum, with his manager being particularly appreciative of him in recent weeks.
Joe Hugill’s Man Utd future
Hugill took some time to find his feet at Wigan Athletic as he played six games before scoring his first goal, with his general level of performance showing only glimpses of a complete striker.
Since then, he has improved markedly and so United are unlikely to be too worried about a single bad game.
In fact, if their own game away at Palace said anything, they could probably use someone like Hugill whose bread and butter is putting away high-quality chances.
For the player himself, he would be eager to dust himself off and get back to scoring ways when Wigan take on Stevenage at home on September 24.
If the season brings 15-20 goals in all competitions for him then he might be deemed ready for a Championship loan move next year.
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