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Manchester United’s academy has emerged as a shining light in this dark season full of losses and injuries.
Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, and occasionally Hannibal and Dan Gore have made a serious impact on the first team in the chances that have arisen.
Another academy star who hasn’t played as much for the first team but has reportedly impressed Erik ten Hag is Joe Hugill.
Manchester Evening News reports that Hugill is set to be awarded a new contract after winning over Ten Hag, a contract which he is expected to sign.
Hugill will then be sent on loan in January, like Hannibal, and then his position in the squad will be assessed in the summer upon returning.
The striker is one of the players whose future needs to be clarified soon because his current contract expires next summer, making him a free agent in six months.
While he hasn’t made enormous strides in the youth team or stood out in his senior team cameos, he has always been a highly-rated prospect in the academy.
With his combination of physical and technical skills, Ten Hag might think he has the capability to turn into a lethal complete forward.
This season, he has scored seven goals in nine appearances in Premier League 2, clearly laying down the marker that youth football is below his level.
It is understandable because he is already 20 years old.
Generally, a player who hasn’t established himself in the senior team by that point doesn’t really have a future at the club but Hugill’s intangibles might have swayed things in his favour.
Now it is up to him to impress on what could possibly be the most important loan spell of his career coming in January.