Man Utd quicken pace of departures as 21-year-old ‘natural goalscorer’ set to seal exit on loan

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Manchester United are ramping up the pace of departures with a pre-season tour to the USA looming, and next up on the list is a striker.

Man Utd want to sign a striker next after sealing an agreement for the transfer of Bryan Mbeumo, but they have some intriguing options in-house as well.

Chido Obi is the wild card, whose breakout can change everything for United, while Gabriele Biancheri deserves a chance as well.

This sudden influx of quality striking options has left one 21-year-old out in the cold who was described as a ‘natural goalscorer’ less than a year ago.

Joe Hugill seals loan move

Before there was Ethan Wheatley, Obi, Biancheri, or Bradbury, Joe Hugill was the one making all the noise in the youth circuit.

Signed from Sunderland, he made use of his physical gifts to maximum effect, scoring for fun in the U18s and keeping up that pace somewhat in the U21s.

However, a series of loans since then haven’t been kind to him, partly due to his own limitations and partly due to the curious choice of teams he’s been sent to.

His latest one ended in relegation with Carlisle United, and that is where he was sent after his loan at Wigan was cut short.

Wigan manager Shaun Maloney was the one who described Hugill as a “natural goalscorer” when they sealed a move for him. He ended that spell with a record of five goals in 18 games.

Nathan Salt has now reported that Barnet are the next team to take a chance on him. Barnet will play in League Two this season after earning promotion.

Therefore, Hugill will have his hands full again in trying to extract the maximum from the few opportunities he has every game because his team won’t be favourites against many clubs.

Man Utd doing right by Hugill

With his contract expiring next summer, a loan move doesn’t make much sense from United’s perspective, but this is a case of the club doing right by the player.

It was always unlikely that Hugill would find a permanent buyer after struggling at both League One and League Two levels last season.

So United want him to grind it out and try to impress some suitors by spending another season on loan with the financial security of a Man Utd contract.

It is likely that, regardless of his displays with Barnet, Hugill’s contract will not be renewed at Old Trafford, but he can earn himself a good permanent move in the English league by impressing at Barnet.

At 21, Hugill was probably one of the players United were trying to sell with a sell-on clause, but in the absence of a permanent contract, they’ve chosen to do right by the player.