Wigan manager Shaun Maloney hopes Manchester United loanee Joe Hugill has silenced his critics after his brace put the Latics on course for an emphatic 4-0 win at Bristol Rovers.
The 20-year-old striker put Wigan in command with two close-range first-half efforts at the Memorial Stadium.
“Joe is a very good finisher, but whatever the level he’s hoping to reach, there should no ceiling that I’m going to put him on him,” Maloney said.
“He’s got lots of attributes and the two goals will have put him on cloud nine, because I know from experience that this performance will give him a lift.
“But he will have to keep his feet on the ground, work hard and go again because there’s plenty of competition up front, especially from Dale Taylor.”
Maloney hopes the two goals will help silence Hugill’s doubters.
“Man United fans look out for their loan players and I remember reading something that wasn’t positive about Joe’s start with Wigan,” Maloney added
“They were saying he was struggling, but he wasn’t and in reality he was learning to get into certain positions I wanted him to get into, but we weren’t finding him.
“He didn’t score for the first three or four, but I’ll judge him on the ratio of chances he takes rather than just goals scored.
“He’s still got work to do and there’s still different ways to score that he can get better at, but he’s had a good start no matter what goals scored statistics say.”
Hugill put the Latics in control after 20 minutes when he tapped in from close range after the defence had failed to clear their lines following a corner.
He was again in the right place at the right time after 40 minutes when he bundled the ball in after goalkeeper Josh Griffiths had saved following another corner.
Thelo Aasgaard strengthened Wigan’s grip on the contest after 50 minutes with yet another close-range finish when Griffiths dropped Silko Thomas’ cross.
And on-loan Liverpool left-back Luke Chambers underlined his potential when he completed the scoring by catching out Griffiths with a low 20-yard free-kick.
Things went from bad to worse for Rovers after 84 minutes when defender Taylor Moore was sent off following an off-the-ball clash with substitute Maleace Asamoah.
Rovers boss Matt Taylor said: “For 15 minutes it was quite a good game with two teams going at it.
“But then goals change the state of the game and the way people feel and perform.
“It was a real shock to the system the way we went under and how we failed the do the basics of the game first and foremost when the score-line went against us.
“It’s probably not the tie to go into every detail, but there wasn’t enough (players) out on the pitch with enough know-how and experience to get themselves through it.
“You’re looking for leadership and it starts with myself. The first two goals were identical from set-pieces, so it’s about set-up aspects as much as intent.
“We tried to give them clear direction at half-time to change the way we were playing, but there were still too many mistakes and we never had control of their team after the first two goals. We were too fragile.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Nuno and his 2nd manager of the month award milk Mbappe We're so back Bookies headquarters after the AC Milan red card Man City fans at HT vs Man City fans at FT "What a week, huh?""Gaffer, it's Wednesday." Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss)...
Neymar has confirmed he will return to his boyhood club, Santos, as he looks to recover from an ACL injury that has heavily disrupted his career in recent seasons.In an emotive post on Instagram, Neymar said that re-joining the Sao Paulo-based side that he left for Barcelona in 2013 was "like going back in time," describing it as the perfect place to regain his form and fitness."Only a club like S...
Aston Villa's Jhon Duran is expected to fly to the Gulf state on Friday to complete a £64m move to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Riyadh.Al-Nassr are interested in signing Mateo KovacicJhon Duran is expected to complete a £64m move to the clubBrighton's Kaoru Mitoma is also a target of the Saudi sideThe Saudi Pro League side also lodged a £54m bid for Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma.Brighton rej...
Tottenham Hotspur have had a €60 million ($62.5m) offer accepted by Bayern Munich on Thursday for their French forward Mathys Tel, sources have told ESPN.Tel, 19, has decided to leave the German side and is attracting a lot of interest from English clubs.Bayern wanted €60m for the France under-21 international and Spurs have become the first team to agree a deal with the Bavarian giant...
Ramos in advanced talks over free transfer to Mexican clubFormer Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is reportedly in discussions with Mexican club Monterrey regarding a possible transfer.Dorgu to complete €35m Man Utd move as medical scheduledLecce star Patrick Dorgu is reportedly set to fly to England ahead of a medical and a €35 million move to Manchester United.Neymar sends emotional ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Amara Nallo Debut Bournemouth this season (LIV next) true 18 matches at once, it's just too much. Speed describing how Ronaldo smells like in his stream:"You could smell his aura. He smells like a GOAT." lol Juventus Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Just toon it, trollfootball, The Football Arena, AZR Organization)...
Manchester United have plenty of business to tie up before Monday’s transfer deadline, with Patrick Dorgu closing in on a move to Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford appears to be heading for the exit after facing the wrath of Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim, while Alejandro Garnacho could also be set to depart.Chelsea are in the mix for new signings and could rival Napoli for Garnacho. The Blues are...
Marcus Rashford could be at the center of a deadline-day transfer as Manchester United have made him available. Man Utd star Rashford could be set for a deadline day move as the window comes to a closeUnited are asking for £40M for Rashford but are also open to a loan deal, per The Sun. European clubs, including Barcelona, have shown interest, but his £325,000-a-week wages have been a si...
Chelsea’s pursuit of Alejandro Garnacho could be a last-minute scramble late into the winter window – but the club have a contingency plan in place should the Blues fail to secure a Manchester United winger before the transfer deadline, according to reports.The Argentine forward could still leave Old Trafford before February 3, when the window closes, with the club willing to sell him ...
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he does not want Ollie Watkins to leave the club amid interest from Arsenal, but said if Jhon Durán completes his move to Al Nassr then it is "good news" for the club as it shows they are doing the right things in terms of developing players.Emery was speaking after Aston Villa secured their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League following a 4-...
- 1 Kerkez and £83m ace join as Salah signs
- 2 Enzo 'trying to fix romance with childhood sweetheart'
- 3 'exciting' Betis on signing Man Utd flop
- 4 Napoli confirm Garnacho interest
- 5 Kyle Walker’s wife in talks with ITV for HUGE reality show
- 6 Ashley Cole, wife Sharon, Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy on luxury skiing holiday
- 7 Meet Jude Bellingham's new model WAG
- 8 Atletico Madrid in talks for Arsenal Zinchenko
- 9 LaLiga ace Alex Berenguer & model wife ‘have gun pointed at them’
- 10 Transfer news and rumours LIVE