Teams are already thinking about adding players in January even we still haven’t seen more than four league matches played. Liverpool have been following Will Hughes from Derby Country for quite a while, and it’s becoming more and more likely that they’ll try to sign the 18-year old Derby County midfielder.
According to the Daily Mirror, Liverpool are stepping up their trace and chase of the U-21 England international by sending their chief scout Dave Fallows to follow the player, who’ll only be turning 19 at the end of this season, and has one full season of starting for Derby on his resume to show.
Hughes is being considered by many as the next great midfielder for England, with many comparing him to Steven Gerrard, although with less of knack for scoring. However, Gerrard was much more of a central or even defensive midfielder early in his career, and Hughes might turn out the same way eventually.
During the summer first news of Liverpool’s interest in the player came up, but it was quite clear that he wasn’t going to be able and contribute right away for the team. Signing him in January for at least £5 million won’t mean he’ll play for Liverpool anytime soon. The more likely scenario is Liverpool fending off competition (Everton?) to sign Hughes and then loaning him out, possibly back to Derby County, before he has a place in the team’s rotation.
Hughes is a rare breed among English midfielders due to his passing and dribbling ability, but the midfielder, who has spoke in the past about modeling his game after Xavi and Andres Iniesta, knows he needs to work on his physical attributes – pace and strength, while becoming more of a threat on goal should become another primary goal for him while there’s still time to improve those things.