Manager reveals Manchester United loanee is the fastest player at his new club

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One moment during Manchester United’s pre-season preparations highlighted the the raw pace of one of Erik ten Hag’s young talents.

Loitering on the shoulder of the last defender, the Red Devils whizzkid turned on the afterburners and speed in behind following a pinpoint Maxi Oyedele through ball.

Then came the finish. Rattled in off the underside of Rangers’ crossbar.

Joe Hugill is clearly far from the finished article. He scored only once in 12 League One games on loan at Burton Albion last term.

But even if he does not make the grade at Manchester United, this is certainly a striker with the raw skillset to strike fear into the heart of centre-halves whatever level he finds himself player at in the coming years.

• READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25

Big season ahead for Manchester United’s Joe Hugill

At present, Hugill is preparing for another stab at life in England’s third tier.

A Wigan side who overperformed last season under one of the division’s most highly-rated managers in Shaun Maloney should prove to be a more suitable environment than a Burton team which avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth.

And Hugill has certainly made a good first impression.

He scored a penalty on his first Wigan start in pre-season against Tranmere Rovers last week, Maloney labelling the Durham-born 20-year-old a ‘constant threat’ while praising his work rate from the front.

Now, speaking ahead of Wigan’s League One opener against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, Maloney highlighted the new dimension Hugill threatens to bring to the Latics frontline.

The Man United loanee has rapidly established himself as the fastest player in Maloney’s squad, beating James Carragher (yes, Jamie’s son) by a nose.

“(Carragher) came back in incredible condition. He’s now the second quickest player at the club behind Joe Hugill,” former Aston Villa and Celtic playmaker Maloney tells Wigan Today.

Hugill is, so far, the only player to leave Old Trafford on loan this summer. The aforementioned Oyedele has also impressed during pre-season, alongside James Scanlon, Sam Murray, and a player Erik ten Hag really ‘rates’ in Toby Collyer.

Man United may have decisions to make if further offers arrive from the EFL between now and the close of the summer window.

Ruud van Nistelrooy makes his mark

“Joe Hugill is different,” Ten Hag told United media after the former Sunderland and Newcastle starlet doubled the lead given to teh Red Devils by Amad Diallo against Rangers.

“It was enjoyable to watch. I’m very happy. I’m pleased, of course, with some performances from some young players.”

Hugill has scored 31 goals in 50 Premier League 2 games for Man United. Now, the time has come to prove such a record can be translated into the men’s game, with the words of Ruud van Nistelrooy still ringing in his ears.

“We’ve been doing a few shooting drills and he’s been giving us a few tips,” Hugill says of Van Nistelrooy, the legendary striker who returns to his beloved United as a first-team coach. ‘

“But obviously it’s massive having Ruud here. Especially for people like myself who are young and coming up. To have him in the building, to just ask questions, is massive.”

• READ: Who is Ruud van Nistelrooy? Inside the life of Man Utd legend, including his PSV management and coaching career