Manchester United have a real wealth of young talent coming through the club at the moment, the likes of Hannibal Mejbri, Facundo Pellistri and Alejandro Garnacho all named on the bench by Erik ten Hag last time out against Brentford.
Garnacho is the stand-out name, excelling in flashes for the Red Devils when called upon – scoring six times already in the relative infancy still of his Man United career.
This production line of excellent youngsters coming in and becoming household names isn't something out of the ordinary at Old Trafford, Marcus Rashford once an exciting prospect coming through the ranks now a key first-teamer for many seasons with 124 goals as a Red Devil.
Even stretching back to Alex Ferguson – who utilised his youth talents effectively and made them world-class in the form of David Beckham and others – Manchester United are a club renowned for transforming their youth players.
Now, with 19-year-old Joe Hugill, they could have another exciting young talent at their disposal with the youngster playing in the U21s set-up and scoring goal after goal in this age bracket.
Who is Joe Hugill?
Hugill started his career in the youth set-ups at rivals Sunderland and Newcastle United, the Durham-born attacker developing close to his home.
The teenager would sign for Manchester United in the summer of 2020, but the Red Devils were not the only club working to get a deal over the line for Hugill with Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal also tussling for the youngster's services.
The striker hasn't looked back since leaving his hometown of Durham behind, taking to his new environment at Manchester United like a "duck to water" and making an "instant impression" according to the Man United official club website.
The 6 foot 2 attacker has been nothing short of prolific ever since being introduced into the fold at the club, scoring six times in his first five appearances for the U18s when joining, as per Transfermarkt.
What is Hugill's style of play?
Hugill's expertise lie in him being clinical when an opportunity is gifted to him, often orchestrating moves on his own with his lightning-quick speed which has proven to be far too much for opposition defenders on numerous occasions.
His rapid pace and energy to attempt to close down panicked defenders could draw comparisons to Marcus Rashford, a player Hugill will surely want to replicate in terms of growth and how his career skyrocketed.
He even managed to score four goals against Liverpool in a Red Devils shirt at youth level when he was just 17 years of age, his lethal edge in front of goal part and parcel of his game from the very start. It's hardly a surprise, therefore, that he's been branded as part of an "exciting" crop of United youth players by scout Jacek Kulig.
Since breaking into the Manchester United U21 side, Hugill has 28 goals from 53 appearances – the 19-year-old devastatingly effective up top in the Premier League 2.
Will the Manchester United first team come calling sooner rather than later for the 19-year-old star?
What is Marcus Rashford's style of play?
Making 369 appearances in total now for Manchester United – whilst still only being 25 years of age – Rashford is very much part of the furniture at Old Trafford as an experienced pro for the Red Devils.
His goal contributions might've lessened over the last few campaigns, with only one solitary strike this season so far, but Erik ten Hag is sticking by Rashford as an important player for his stuttering side.
In a recent press conference with Sky Sports, the Dutch manager stood by his striker stating: "Strikers when they don't score, they need one goal and they step over it. It will come – he is so experienced. He knows when he and the team are doing the right things, the momentum will come and he'll be on fire."
Rashford's typical style of play focuses on him driving at his opponents with slaloming runs, often culminating in Rashford powerfully finishing off the chance.
This doesn't sound too far off what Hugill possesses as a raw youngster at this moment in time, the next Academy player Manchester United will hope can break into the first team and stay there as a fantastic talent in the years to come.