Man Utd star who was rated by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suddenly recalled to club
Manchester United's decision to bring Joe Hugill back from his loan stint at Wigan is bound to delight Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who previously lauded him as a "top striker." The 21-year-old has impressed during his time in League One, grabbing five goals and one assist in 18 appearances across all competitions for the Latics.
Hugill has been held in high esteem at Old Trafford since his £300,000 switch from Sunderland in 2020. The Durham-born forward rapidly climbed the ranks and shone for the U18s before stepping up to the reserves in the same season.
It was during this period that he caught the eye of then-United manager Solskjaer, particularly after bagging four goals against Liverpool's under-23s - a match in which Amad Diallo make his club debut. While Diallo dazzled, it was Hugill who received special mention from the Norwegian coach.
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const loadOvpScript=()=>{let el=document.createElement('script');el.setAttribute('src','https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=114291&vp_content=plembed3e7arguyxmsj&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v114291');document.getElementById('ovp-primis').appendChild(el)};window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v114291"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}});window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',()=>{setTimeout(()=>{if(typeof flagTcfLoaded!=='undefined'&&flagTcfLoaded===!0){loadOvpScript();ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP flagTcfLoaded',new Date())}else{document.addEventListener("tcfLoaded",()=>{loadOvpScript();ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP tcfLoaded',new Date())})}},1500)})Despite earning plaudits from Solskjaer, Hugill is yet to make his break into the first team. He was an unused substitute against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in the Champions League last season, as well as against Everton in the Premier League, but failed to make it off the bench.
Ruben Amorim's squad has been grappling with a lack of goals and is the lowest-scoring team along the Premier League's top 14 teams. However, it remains to be seen whether Hugill will get his opportunity despite United taking the initiative to bring him back early from his loan.
Trending window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20250107.min.js"Solskjaer was in charge when Hugill signed for United in 2020 (Image: Getty) SUBSCRIBE Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
The Red Devils have only managed to net 23 goals in the league this season. Their £72million forward, Rasmus Hojlund, has netted four of those, while summer signing Joshua Zirkzee has added just three of his own and come in for criticism from some fans in recent weeks.
Hugill's return to Old Trafford comes following a struggle for game time of late, having played just 49 minutes in his last five league matches. However, he did manage to find the back of the net during a 17-minute cameo against promotion contenders Wrexham, albeit in a 2-1 defeat.
It's possible Amorim intends to send the youngster out on loan again, rather than allow him to ride the bench at the Brick Community Stadium. However, there's an outside chance the United boss wants to expand his own options in the search for attacking solutions.
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