Will Hughes and Liverpool - Should he stay or should he go?

Much to the Derby fans dismay, Hughes seems destined this year to join his boyhood club Liverpool. The world club giants have been heavily linked with the England under 21 international, but are not the only team to hold such a keen interest to sign the hot prospect. Last season Barcelona, the two Manchester clubs and Newcastle, among others were also linked. It was reported that Barcelona were compiling a dossier on the players talents and weaknesses to fuel them with the information needed to launch a serious bid for his signature. But is now the right time for Hughes to leave?

At just 18 years old, Hughes is already into his third Championship campaign, and has become instrumental to the success of his Rams side as they gun for promotion this season. A product of Derby’s academy, Hughes caught the eye of former manager Nigel Clough in a reserve match. He was promoted to the first team squad in line with the departure of first team regular Paul Green, and has settled into central midfield quickly. The player is an obvious natural talent, and shines at his level when watched over 90minutes. Naturally comfortable on the ball, Hughes finds time that his peers struggle to, which is not only a testament to his spatial awareness, but also to his quick footwork. Hughes is happy to allow players to come close, maintaining the confidence that he will not lose the ball which gives him something other players at this level do not have.

His eye for a pass is second to none as he sees a killer ball in an instant, often putting in a perfectly weighted pass to his team mates. Certainly the likes of Jamie Ward will miss Hughes if he were to leave for this reason alone. Off the ball, personally I feel that Hughes can develop. His upper body strength is something that will come in time, and his tackling is an area that can be questionable. He certainly has the natural talent with a football at his feet, and only he can dictate how far his game will go by working at the other elements. Here, nothing can compensate for effort and hard work.

Trainers, managers and colleagues have heaped praise onto Christiano Ronaldo with regards to his work ethic, staying after training and doing extra sessions in the gym, and the hard work obviously bears fruit. Ronaldo is a good model for Hughes to follow to be on top of his game, not criticising what Will is currently doing at all. Hughes has an extraordinary ability at 18, which coupled with the hard work that I am sure he is putting in can lead him to all sorts of success.

Hughes must judge at some point whether this talent will flourish at his current club. Derby have exceptional facilities and can offer Hughes the first team football that he needs to progress. However, when a club such as Liverpool come in and offer something bigger and better, it can be hard for all parties to decide what is best.

Wilfried Zaha left Crystal Palace last year, originally penning a deal that would take him away from Selhurst Park in January. However, with Ferguson unlikely to put him straight into the side, he was loaned back to Palace and helped them complete their promotion campaign. Since leaving, the youngster has barely played for Manchester United, and at this point in his career surely minutes on the pitch are pivotal if he is going to go on to fulfil his full potential? At the start of the season Holloway was keen to keep him on again, and this would have been a good point to use the loan system for its intended purpose. Zaha could have picked up a seasons experience at top level without having to adapt to new surroundings and personnel. An obvious move you would think for both clubs and the player himself?

The loan move of Romelu Lukaku has been widely criticised this season, largely because he is playing so well in the Premier League. People are questioning why he is not doing this in the blue of Chelsea rather than Everton. However, he will return to Chelsea next season with another years’ experience, and most would bet that he will come back and be a success. With a years playing experience at West Bromwich Albion, backed up by a further year at Everton, he will certainly be familiar with the demands of the league, and isn’t it better for his parent club that he gets minutes on the pitch if they genuinely have no intention to play him in each game?

As good a player as Will Hughes is, I can’t see him walking into the first team at Anfield just yet, and I am sure that the loan system will come into play if he does move this term. I think that he would be best to see where Derby are at the end of the season. If they are in the Premier League then he can perhaps stay on for a year through some means in order to add the experience of the top division to his CV. If not, he may decide that a move away is best where he could then be loaned out to a club that will play him week in week out. Certainly Premier League experience will be crucial in his decision, as the league is very different to the Championship and he will need to prove he can play at this level to progress. It would be tragic to see such a highly rated player make the step up and then not be given a chance as many do. Left too long this can really ruin a player’s career, and Hughes needs to ensure that first team football is top of his priorities when considering any move that he may or not decide to make.

A move that will always be speculated about whilst the youngster is not playing top flight football is for now put on hold. My only hope is that Hughes continues to develop this season, and reaches the heights that pundits think he can long term, wherever that may be. It would be nice to see him run out for England in Russia 2018, which there is no reason he cannot do with his current level of progress. Greg Dyke and his FA consortium will find this sort of dilemma somewhat of a headache as Hughes, a young English talent faces a pivotal time in his career where decisions will be key in determining how successful his career is.