Manchester United have reached an agreement with Sunderland for the £250,000 signing of 16-year-old striker, Joe Hugill, reports the Daily Mail.
Only a medical is left to complete the transfer.
This is coming as the future of Odion Ighalo, who was brought in on loan from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua in January, hangs in the balance.
Ighalo has been very impressive since his arrival at Old Trafford.
This is coming after Ighalo led Nigeria to a third place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he finished in the competition’s Team of the Tournament and was crowned top scorer.
There have been talks of the club signing him on a permanent basis before the coming of the coronavirus disease forced the suspension of the Premier League.
The new boy, Hugill has impressed with his performances in Sunderland’s youth system, and has risen all the way through to the club’s U23 side.
Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal had all been alerted to the youngster’s talent but United have beaten them to his signature and he looks set to continue his development in Manchester.
Who is Joe Hugill?
Hugill is the latest academy star to attract interest from the north-east outfit, who have seen several talents head elsewhere in recent years.
Joe has spent his entire footballing career with his boyhood club Sunderland.
Born in Durham, Hugill is regarded as one of the most talented players to emerge from the club’s ‘Academy of Light’ programme, which has developed Jordan Pickford, Josh Maja and Conor Hourihane.
There’s one thing that Hugill guarantees, and that is goals.
He bagged a hat-trick for Sunderland’s Under-18 side in an FA Youth Cup tie against Shrewsbury in November and having consistently found the net at U18 level, he was promoted to the U23s.
Despite the sizeable age gap to his more senior opponents, it didn’t take long for Hugill to make his mark.
He netted a brace in a 4-2 defeat against Premier League 2 leaders West Ham back in February, which seemed to alert scouts to his ability.
Playing style
One of the reasons why Hugill was able to slot into the U23 side so comfortably is his physical attributes.
Standing at 6’2″ with a slender frame, Hugill has an obvious height advantage against most players in his age group and therefore poses a tangible aerial threat to defenders he comes up against.
Strikers of a larger build are often criticised for their perceived lack of technical skills or pace. But the Sunderland prospect is blessed with a strong left foot and displayed his skill set with a stunning lob in the U23 defeat against West Ham.
While it is too early to make comparisons, the intelligent run in behind and composed finish suggested that Hugill could eventually develop into a cultured player.
