Manchester United youngster Joe Hugill couldn’t have made a more instant impact in his first game for new loan club Burton Albion FC, as he managed to score after being on the pitch for less than three minutes— on his senior football league debut no less.
How about that for announcing yourself?
The 20-year-old joined Man United from Sunderland’s academy in 2020 after interest from the likes of Arsenal, Spurs, Leeds and more, and has impressed throughout the youth ranks ever since. He
” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow”>also scored on tour during pre-season.
Having spent the latter half of last year on loan at National League side Altrincham, along with fellow Reds Sonny Aljofree and Maxi Oyedele as part of a new grassroots support initiative, he has earned a place on Erik ten Hag’s first-team bench on multiple occasions this campaign.
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Now spending the rest of this season on loan at Burton, he gave the Staffordshire-based fans a debut to get excited about with a quickfire goal just moments after coming on as a substitute.
WHAT A MOMENT FOR JOE HUGILL! 😯
THREE MINUTES into his senior debut, the Manchester United loanee FIRES Burton level! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/x9zRgW7m77
Joe Hugill pulls off a great first touch to set off clear of the last man and score his debut goal.
Instilling serious hope of an impressive comeback or at least a draw with the equalising goal in the 65th minute, the United prospect sent the travelling supporters wild and will no doubt be reliving that moment over and over again.
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Having now netted nine and assisted one in 13 appearances across the U23s Premier League, EFL Youth Trophy and now League One following his debut against Derby County, not to mention scoring in every game bar one of a dozen youth games with the Red Devils in 22/23, there’s no doubt he’s a goal threat.
The promising striker’s contribution was ultimately minimised as Derby scored a late winner in the 93rd minute through former Premier League striker Conor Hourihane, but it nevertheless delighted the away end and fans from his home club watching on with interest as they keep a keen eye on his progress.
Here’s what Hugill himself had to say after the game:
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PLAYER INTERVIEW 🗣️
A goal just three minutes into his senior debut. Watch what Joe Hugill had to say after tonight's events.#BAFC
While Brewers lauded him for a “very clever” finish and instinctive run towards goal, one United fan said, “I’m convinced this lad is going all the way. Love watching him.”
Although he has only just gone out on loan, it goes without saying that ten Hag and his coaching staff will be monitoring his loan move very closely as although fellow fledgling striker Rasmus Højlund has started scoring and they some options up front, his side is still lacking goals and a consistent performer up front.
The club have famously turned to their youth ranks when looking for inspiration in the past — is Joe Hugill another one to watch and how long before we see his senior competitive debut and first goal for United?
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
16th January 2024 
