William James Hughes (born 17 April 1995) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
.
Having graduated a scholarship with
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
,
Hughes made his first team breakthrough during the
2012–13 season;
his performances resulted in him earning attraction from multiple clubs across Europe.
Hughes made his move to the Premier League with Watford in 2017,
[ helping the Hornets reach the ]FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
in 2019 and maintain top-flight football for three seasons.[ Following Watford's relegation in 2020, Hughes played a central role in their promotion campaign the following season.][
]
Early life
Born in Weybridge
Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...
, Surrey, Hughes moved to Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
at the age of two. Hughes was first educated at St Peter's Junior school and then Repton School
Repton School is a 13–18 co-educational, independent, day and boarding school in the English public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, England.
Sir John Port of Etwall, on his death in 1557, left funds to create a grammar school whi ...
for secondary school in Derbyshire, where he was a boarder A boarder may be a person who:
*snowboards
*skateboards
*bodyboards
* surfs
*stays at a boarding house
*attends a boarding school
*takes part in a boarding attack
The Boarder may also refer to:
* ''The Boarder'' (1953 film), a 1953 Soviet drama ...
attending on a sports scholarship. Growing up, Hughes also played cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
and tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
. He played for Repton's football team, reaching the final of the Independent Schools Football Association Under-15 Cup in 2010, where he scored the first goal in a 3–1 extra-time defeat to Brentwood. Having briefly been on the books of Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
, Hughes played for local side Mickleover Jubilee, before leaving Repton to sign for Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
as a first-year scholar in the summer of 2011. While at Derby he completed A-Levels
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...
in politics and business with the help of tutors.
Club career
Derby County
Hughes made his debut for the club's reserve team as a 70th minute substitute in a 6–1 Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...
win over Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield.
Walsall is th ...
on 22 September 2011 and made two additional appearances in the Central League Cup. It was his "outstanding" performance in a 1–0 win over Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
reserves in the competition on 1 November which brought him to manager Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was ...
's attention for possible inclusion in the Derby first-team squad against Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
four days later.
Hughes made his full debut for Derby as a 90th-minute substitute for Jamie Ward
Jamie John Ward (born 12 May 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ilkeston Town where he is player-manager. He has represented the Northern Ireland national team.
Born in Birmingham he began his career with his home ...
. Despite entering the match late with the scores level, there was still time for Hughes' first-team debut to end in defeat as a 94th-minute goal saw Peterborough win 3–2.
After Derby midfielder Paul Green, who was out-of-contract at the end of the season, rejected a contract offer, Clough dropped him and promoted Hughes to the first-team squad as his replacement for the penultimate match of the season at Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. Hughes started the match on the substitute's bench and came on in the 68th minute, replacing Theo Robinson
Theo Larayan Ronaldo Shadiki Robinson (born 22 January 1989) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), striker.
Born in England, he won seven caps for Jamaica national football team, Jama ...
in a 2–1 win. Hughes started his first match for the senior team in the final match of the season, a 1–1 draw against Peterborough United. Hughes' performance match earned praise from Derby manager Nigel Clough. At Derby's awards night, Hughes won the Scholar of the Year Award.
After impressing in pre-season, Clough said that Hughes could be in line for a place in the starting line-up in the first match of the season against Scunthorpe United in the League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. Clough was particularly impressed with his substitute appearance against Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
saying, "When he came off the bench at Colchester, he was very good indeed. I thought he was the star of the subs. He looked comfortable. I don't think he gave the ball away and he made our equaliser. We are very pleased with him."
Hughes scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 win against Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
on 1 September 2012. Hughes signed a new contract in October 2012, committing his future at the club until summer 2015. Hughes scored his second goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat at Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
on 10 November, scoring an equalising goal from 20 yards. In November 2012, Hughes was linked with moves to Arsenal, Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
and Manchester City. Nigel Clough denied the rumours, however he said the interest in the player was inevitable and said many scouts had been at Derby matches to watch Hughes.
Hughes was named the Football League Young Player of the Month
The EFL Young Player of the Month is an award for young players in all three divisions of the English Football League. To be eligible players must be under-21 or turn 21 during the current season. It was first awarded in December 2009. Victor Mose ...
for November 2012, after a series of impressive performances. On the eve of the 2013 January transfer window, it was reported in the ''Derby Telegraph
The ''Derby Telegraph'', formerly the ''Derby Evening Telegraph'', is a daily tabloid newspaper distributed in the Derby area of England. Stories produced by the Derby Telegraph team are published online under the Derbyshire Live brand.
Histor ...
'' that Hughes was being closely observed by 10 Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
clubs with Fulham's manager Martin Jol saying of Hughes, "Believe me, there are probably 10 clubs in the Premier League having a look at him. He is one of these wonderful talents, so he is always on lists. If you have a good scouting system, he will always be on the list but we will see."
In February 2013, during a 0–0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
, Hughes picked up a groin injury and was replaced after 63 minutes. As a result of this injury, Hughes ended his ever-present run of Derby first-team appearances after 35 matches and ended a run of 37 consecutive appearances. With twelve matches remaining in the season and with Derby unlikely to fight for a play-off place and with Hughes being ruled out for the first two matches in March; Clough said he considered resting Hughes for the rest of season to reduce stress on his body.
In April 2013, Hughes signed a one-year extension to his contract after his 18th birthday, extending his stay until June 2016. Hughes returned to first-team action before schedule on 20 April as an 85th-minute substitute in Derby's 3–1 against Peterborough United. At the end of the season, Hughes won the Sammy Crooks Young Player of the Year award.
Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Hughes was expected to compete with Craig Bryson, Paul Coutts
Paul Alexander Coutts (born 22 July 1988) is a Scottish footballer who plays for League One club Bristol Rovers. A product of the Scottish Highland Football League, Coutts' first senior professional club was his home town club, Cove Rangers who ...
and Jeff Hendrick
Jeffrey Patrick Hendrick (born 31 January 1992) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Newcastle United, and the Republic of Ireland national team.
Hendrick spent his childhood years with boyhood club St. Ke ...
, with then-manager Nigel Clough stating that rotation could be utilised. Hughes scored his first goal of the season on 27 August in a 5–0 win against League One side Brentford in the League Cup. He scored his first league goal of the season in a 3–1 defeat at home to Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
on 21 September. This was Hughes' last goal under Nigel Clough, who was sacked a week later following a 1–0 defeat at the hands of rivals Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
in the East Midlands derby. Clough was replaced by former England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
manager Steve McClaren
Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English former professional footballer and coach who currently serves as an assistant coach for Premier League club Manchester United, in his second spell at the club.
McClaren began his coaching caree ...
, and Hughes scored in his first match in charge of Derby; a 3–1 win against Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
. On 1 July 2014, Hughes agreed a new four-year contract at Derby County, which would see his contract at the club extended until the end of the 2017–18 season.
On 8 August 2015 in the season opener against Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...
, Hughes damaged his anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee and was ruled out for six months. In April 2016, he rejoined the first-team squad at Derby after returning to full fitness.
Despite interest from Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
giants Manchester United, Hughes remained at Derby for their 2016–17 Championship campaign, under new manager Nigel Pearson
Nigel Graham Pearson (born 21 August 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player, currently the manager of Championship club Bristol City. During his playing career, he was a defender and played for Shrewsbury Town, Shef ...
. The team's negative start at the start of the season saw Pearson sacked, with former manager Steve McClaren
Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English former professional footballer and coach who currently serves as an assistant coach for Premier League club Manchester United, in his second spell at the club.
McClaren began his coaching caree ...
replacing him. On 13 January 2017, Hughes signed a new contract with Derby, running until the summer of 2020. McClaren was later replaced by Gary Rowett
Gary Rowett (born 6 March 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is currently manager of Championship club Millwall.
As a player, he was a defender, and played in the Premier League for Everton, Derby County, ...
in March that year, with Derby going on to finish ninth in the Championship after an indifferent season. Hughes' final appearance for Derby was a 1–1 draw at relegated Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
, coming on as a substitute at half-time for Craig Bryson. Hughes has stated that he stagnated at the end of his Derby career, and believes he wasn't manager Gary Rowett
Gary Rowett (born 6 March 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is currently manager of Championship club Millwall.
As a player, he was a defender, and played in the Premier League for Everton, Derby County, ...
's "cup of tea".
Watford
On 24 June 2017, Hughes joined Premier League club Watford on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £8 million. Hughes became newly appointed manager Marco Silva
Marco Alexandre Saraiva da Silva (; born 12 July 1977) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a right-back, currently manager of club Fulham.
He played for a variety of Portuguese clubs, finishing his career with a six-year spell at ...
's first signing of the season. He made his Premier League debut on 28 October 2017, coming on as a substitute for André Carrillo in the 80th minute, during a 1–0 defeat against Stoke City at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road is a stadium in Watford, England, and is the home stadium of championship club Watford. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,200.
History
It has been the home of Watford since 1922, when the club moved from Cas ...
. Hughes then scored his first goal for the Hornets on 19 November that year, scoring the opener in a 2–0 victory over West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
.
Hughes was part of a Watford side that reached the FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
during the 2018–19 season, where they would be defeated 6–0 by domestic treble winners Manchester City in the final, Hughes having played all sixth matches during their FA Cup campaign. Despite their success, Watford were relegated to the Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
at the end of the following season. Hughes remained at Watford, playing a crucial role as Watford earned promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, finishing the Championship league campaign as runners-up.
Crystal Palace
On 28 August 2021, Hughes signed a three-year deal with Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
. He made his debut for the club on 30 November as an 82nd minute substitute for Jeffrey Schlupp
Jeffrey Schlupp (; born 23 December 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger or occasional left back for club Crystal Palace and the Ghana national team.
Schlupp started his career as a striker.
Early life
Jef ...
in a 1–0 defeat away to Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
.
International career
On 17 January 2012, Hughes was called up to the England U17 for the first time for the Algarve Tournament in February 2012, he was joined by his teammate Mason Bennett
Mason Kane Bennett (born 15 July 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for League One club Burton Albion.
He has also represented England Youth at U-16 and U-17 Level. He holds the record as Derby County's younges ...
. Hughes appeared in all three match, as England won the three-match tournament with seven points. Hughes scored a goal in the 2–2 draw against Netherlands U17 on 4 February 2012. Hughes was also called up the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round in March 2012, however England failed to qualify for the main tournament, finishing third in their group on four points, with their exit confirmed in a 4–0 loss to Spain U17. In August 2012, Hughes was named as standby for the England U19 squad for a friendly against Germany U19 in September. On 19 November 2013, Hughes scored his first goal for England U21 against San Marino U21.
In November 2012, Hughes made his first appearance for the England U21
The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.
This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...
squad in a friendly against Northern Ireland U21 on 13 November. Hughes came on as a 65th-minute substitute for Josh McEachran, becoming the second youngest player to get capped for the U21s, beaten only by Theo Walcott
Theo James Walcott (born 16 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Southampton and previously for the English national team.
Walcott is a product of the Southampton Academy and started his career with ...
. Derby youth academy director Darren Wassall
Darren Paul James Wassall (born 27 June 1968) is an English football coach and former player who played as a defender. He has been academy director of Derby County since 2009; he was also the club's head coach on a temporary basis during 2016. ...
praised Hughes after his call-up to the England U21 side, saying "It's a great achievement to get in at 17 and we are all delighted for him. To make that rise into the Under-21s so soon is fantastic for him and everyone at the club." Hughes called the experience "surreal".
Hughes claimed eligibility to play for the Wales national team through Welsh paternal grandparents in 2019. However, earlier research by the Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Welsh national football team, its corresponding women's team, as well as the Welsh ...
in 2015 concluded that only his great-grandparents were Welsh and therefore Hughes was ineligible to represent Wales.
Style of play
Hughes has been described as a "flair player" who uses through balls and mazy runs to create space for teammates and beat opposition defences in attacking positions. He has expressed a "love of a challenge, a 50–50".
Hughes said in a December 2012 interview for the BBC, that he bases his play on Barcelona and Spanish international central midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta Luján (; born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and is the captain of J1 League club Vissel Kobe. Considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Iniesta has spent most of hi ...
. Hughes states his strengths are his passing and technical ability and targeted improvements in pace and physical strength. Growing up a Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
fan, his favourite player was Steven Gerrard, admiring his ability both in the tackle and as a playmaker.
Hughes' former England U21 coach Stuart Pearce described Hughes as "technically a very sound player". "He rarely gave the ball away in training or in the game he played gainst Northern Ireland which is vitally important at international level. He's progressing really well."
Career statistics
Honours
Watford
*FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
runner-up: 2018–19
Individual
* PFA Team of the Year: 2013–14 Championship
References
External links
Profile
at the Watford F.C. website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Will
1995 births
Living people
People from Weybridge
Footballers from Surrey
English footballers
England youth international footballers
England under-21 international footballers
Association football midfielders
Derby County F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
People educated at Repton School
English people of Welsh descent
FA Cup Final players
Crystal Palace F.C. players