Manchester United sent Joe Hugill on loan to League One for this season, and already he is proving his worth for Wigan.
After a frustrating 2023/24, it was pivotal that Manchester United got Joe Hugill’s next loan move spot on and it seems at Wigan he has found just that.
Hugill moved to Wigan on loan during the summer and he had instant success, scoring on his first start for the Latics in preseason.
He had to wait for his opening goal but against Morecambe – despite heavy defeat – he became the first United loanee to score in 2024/25.
This goal seems to have been exactly what he needed to kick on, as he has since been back on the scoresheet with a brace and has now gotten his reward for that display.
Joe Hugill named in League One team of the week
This past weekend, Hugill’s loan took off as he bagged a brace against Bristol Rovers. It was the first game of the season that Wigan dominated and Hugill got a handful of chances, taking two of them which will be huge for his confidence.
Two first-half goals sent Wigan well on their way to a 4-0 win, but he could have had more, with two big chances being missed – although this could be more telling of Wigan’s dominance than anything else.
Now the dust from this performance has settled and the League One X account has named the league’s team of the week which happens to include Hugill after his impressive outing.
Hugill scored the third-highest match rating in the league, so his inclusion alongside four of his teammates in the team of the week is no surprise.
If this is the way Wigan play for the rest of the season, Hugill could very well end up among the leading players in the league and leading the scoring charts too.
Wigan were viewed as a playoff contender, so hopefully for Hugill’s sake, they make good on this because he needs to be in a team on the front foot.
Manchester United might have fixed the loan problem
For a club of Manchester United’s stature, things were managed so badly for far too long and one area which suffered was the loan department, with young players often heading to clubs they did not suit the style of.
Hugill was a victim of this himself, sent to Altrincham and Burton Albion on loan in recent seasons but faltering at both due to a lack of opportunities and the style not suiting him.
Dan Gore was another last season, sent to Port Vale where he played once with an injury being claimed as the reason despite the fact he was straight back into United training after his return.
This issue had to be solved and a handful of the loans Ineos have made this summer, so far seem to be excellent fits and are at clubs where they can shine – for example, a striker like Hugill cannot be sent to a team fighting at the bottom end of the table as he won’t get the experience in forward positions needed.
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