Exciting England starlet set to spark January bidding war.
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Derby County manager Steve McClaren has appeared to confirm that the club will be forced to sell exciting youngster Will Hughes this January, according to the Daily Star.
The new Rams boss replaced the sacked Nigel Clough earlier this month, and one of his first jobs will be to deal with the future of 18-year-old Hughes, who is highly rated as one of the best young players in the country, and certainly one of the best currently playing outside of the Premier League.
Liverpool had been strongly linked with Hughes during much of the summer, and his sale will likely attract bids from the likes of Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs this January as well, with several top sides desperate to get their hands on this fine young playmaker.
Compared with Barcelona pair Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the England Under-21 international plays the game with a great composure and intelligence, and looks ready to fit in at any top side already.
Previous manager Clough suggested that the youngster would command a fee of around £15m, and although McClaren wouldn’t confirm an asking price, he appears ready to let the club’s star player go.
“Our job is to make sure he makes it,” he said.
“Eventually he will be too good. What we need behind that is players coming through to replace him.”