Joe Hugill departs Wigan Athletic 🗞️
Wigan Athletic have confirmed that Joe Hugill has returned to Manchester United after his loan spell was cut short.
Wigan Athletic have confirmed that Joe Hugill has returned to Manchester United after his loan spell was cut short.
The young centre-forward joined Latics on July 25th 2024 and departed from his season-long loan on January 8th 2025.
Part One: Hugill‘s season with Wigan Athletic
Part Two: Latics’ Forward Options
Hugill’s season with Wigan Athletic 🔵
When Manchester United Academy graduate, Joe Hugill, joined Wigan Athletic on loan in the Summer, I was excited to see what the youngster could do in his second spell in League One after an underwhelming time in an underperforming Burton Albion side last season.
Our first introduction came on the opening day of the 2024/25 campaign when Hugill started against Charlton Athletic. The youngster played 73 minutes but managed just 12 touches and 1 shot off target as he struggled to get up to speed in a Latics side that did not look ready for our first game.
Hugill was handed another start to face Barnsley in the EFL Cup, again at the Brick Community Stadium. Maloney brought him off on the hour mark after a better display despite not finding the back of the net.
Away at Reading, Hugill completed his first 90’ minutes in the league but managed just 15 touches and 1 shot on target. Overall, this was a poor performance by the entire team and I felt for Hugill with how little service he was getting.
The forward’s first taste of victory came on August 24th with our 1-0 win over Crawley Town. Wigan were forced to play fairly defensively throughout this game and Hugill looked isolated up top for the most part.
A 2-1 loss away at Birmingham City followed, with Hugill featuring for 60 minutes and getting just 8 touches on the ball. He lost every duel and it was becoming clear that he perhaps was not quite ready for senior football at this level.
Finally, after five games without a goal contribution, Hugill netted his first for the club in our EFL Trophy Group Stage opener at home to Morecambe. After making an appearance off the bench in the 52nd minute, the forward stepped up to take a penalty 10 minutes later and put his name on the scoresheet. ⚽️
The goal looked to have given the forward a boost of confidence, and away at Bristol Rovers in the next game he netted a first-half brace in what was an impressive 4-0 victory with a relentless pressing plan for the Latics. 👏
Maloney kept his faith in Hugill after netting three goals in two games with starts against Lincoln City, Exeter City, and Mansfield Town. Goalless draws in the first two before a 2-1 loss at home to the Stags saw Hugill then benched for our next game against Blackpool.
Nottingham Forest loanee, Dale Taylor, got the nod instead and this would call an end to Hugill starting in a league fixture again for Wigan. 💢
Hugill made another appearance off the bench in the 75th minute of our FA Cup Second Round tie against Carlisle United with the score goalless. Deep in extra time, the fresh legs the Latics now had on the field helped to secure a 2-0 victory.
The 21-year-old forward was handed another start in our second EFL Trophy Group Stage fixture at home to Nottingham Forest U21s. Hugill almost got himself on the scoresheet after capitalising well on a defensive error to set him on a 1v1 with the goalkeeper. A touch-too-many and a big opportunity missed almost summed up his season so far with us. 😫
The forward spent a month out of action with an ankle injury and missed the majority of November and the early part of December. Hugill returned to the squad with a start against Chesterfield in the EFL Trophy Round of 32, assisting Callum McManaman for an early equaliser before netting a late consolation goal in a 3-2 defeat. 🅰️⚽️
For the remaining five League One fixtures, Hugill made appearances off the bench against Bolton Wanderers, Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United, Wrexham, and Birmingham City.
An equalising goal against Wrexham with a header from Silko Thomas’ cross secured Hugill’s third for the league campaign, two more than he managed at Burton Albion. However, Dale Taylor had become the clear starter and Hugill struggled to show enough impact during his appearances for Maloney to hand him more minutes.
Joe Hugill’s League One Stats
🏟️ Appearances: 13 (8 Starts)
⏰ Minutes: 601
⚽️ Goals: 3
🅰️ Assists: 0
👟 Touches: 137
🎯 Pass Accuracy: 68%
🥅 Shots: 7/9 On Target
🔑 Key Passes: 1
⤴️ Long Balls: 4/6 Complete
💪 Ground Duels: 11/36 Won
✈️ Aerial Duels: 10/52 Won
❌ Clearances: 5
💢 Blocked Shots: 1
🔄 Interceptions: 1
🚫 Tackles: 3
Latics’ Forward Options 🔎
After Josh Stones departed for York City last week, Shaun Maloney was left with only Joe Hugill and Dale Taylor as our natural centre-forward options.
Then, the arrival of Will Goodwin on loan from Oxford United meant that all three of Maloney’s options were on loan from other clubs.
Will Goodwin joins Wigan Athletic on loan ✍️
Wigan Athletic have signed Will Goodwin on loan from Championship side, Oxford United, for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.
Wigan Athletic usually only play with one centre-forward as we rarely see Maloney play two on the field at one time. Thelo Aasgaard will push higher to form a partnership before the dice are rolled on a two-up-top method.
Wigan Athletic’s current forward options.
Will Goodwin (Age: 22) - On loan from Oxford United
Dale Taylor (Age: 21) - On loan from Nottingham Forest)
Joe Hugill’s departure back to Manchester United leaves the Latics with two loanee frontmen in Will Goodwin and Dale Taylor.
If I am being honest, I couldn’t see how Hugill would be getting much - if any - game time ahead of the two of them and with this in mind, it does make sense for the 21-year-old to return to Manchester United and assess his options for the remainder of the season.
Reports suggest that Hugill will go back out on loan to another EFL Club, and I hope that he is able to find the game time and development that he and the club are looking for.
The rumour mill is suggesting that the Latics are looking at bringing in a permanent ‘Number 9’, and Hugill’s departure opens up a space in the squad for a forward to come in and start pushing for some minutes in the league.
That said, our midfield injury crisis is something that should take priority so we may not see any movement on a permanent forward until the Summer.
It’s all so busy early on in this January transfer window! Make sure to subscribe to this Substack to be notified when more news breaks. 🗞️
All the best in your career, Joe!
Up the Tics 🔵⚪️
🙌 Thank you for reading!
✍🏼 Charlie Keegan / Central Wigan
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