"Has to be Charlie Hughes" - Hull City man dubbed "ridiculous" and tipped to emulate Harry Maguire | OneFootball

The summer signing has made an immediate impression on City supporters

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Charlie Hughes has made an instant impression on Hull City supporters in such a short period of game-time.

After signing from Wigan Athletic for a reported £3.5m fee in August, there was plenty of discourse as to how the defender, who recently turned 21 years of age, would fill the void left by homegrown centre-back Jacob Greaves, who completed a well-deserved move to the Premier League with Ipswich Town in the off-season.

Hughes would suffer the frustration of an immediate lay-off through an appendix issue, but has since replaced Sean McLoughlin in Tim Walter's back four, and made an instant impact, with the Tigers looking much more defensively assured.

With that being said, Football League World's City fan pundit, Ryan Frankish, has compared the England youth international to former defender, Harry Maguire, when asked if any of the current crop reminded him of an ex-Tiger.

Hull City fan pundit draws up Charlie Hughes, Harry Maguire comparison

Maguire was in a similar boat to the aforementioned Hughes when acquired for just £2.5m by Steve Bruce in the summer of 2014 from then-League One outfit Sheffield United, particularly after impressing against Hull in the FA Cup semi-final just months before.

As well as the upward trajectory which many believe the former Latics star is also set to embark on over the course of his career, Frankish also referenced the defender's attributes and characteristics as a key reason behind the comparison when quizzed by FLW.

He said : "A player at the club who reminds me of a previously top player? It has to be Charlie Hughes.

"He's only started three games, I know, but the head that he carries on his shoulders at such a young age is ridiculous," Frankish stated.

"He's powerful and he's level-headed, as I've said previously. He's the first name on the teamsheet at the minute, and he just reminds me of Harry Maguire, when he was on the rise and had a fearlessness about him, before all the pressure and scrutiny regarding his performances started to come."

"Harry Maguire could do no wrong at one point for us, and I think that's the same with Charlie Hughes," our fan pundit continued.

"But, I feel that Charlie Hughes' ceiling is so much higher. I think he's going to be ridiculously good."

He concluded: "It's going to be so exciting to see his career blossom, whether that's with us, or, hopefully not, another team afterwards."

Of course, to be compared to someone of Maguire's ability is high praise for Hughes, especially just four games into his City career.

However, the fearlessness which our fan pundit touched upon has definitely been showcased in bucket-loads already, with the defender putting in high-quality performances against league leaders Sunderland, before an effectively faultless defensive display against promotion hopefuls Burnley just three days later.

Furthermore, previous Premier League interest from the likes of Brentford and West Ham United highlight the defender's pedigree at such a young age, and based off his start to life in East Yorkshire, you wouldn't bet against Hughes eventually making the step-up into the top flight.

Maguire, of course, became the world's most-expensive defensive acquisition back in 2019, after Manchester United acquired his services for a reported £80m fee back in 2019, as well as going on to become an England stalwart alongside John Stones at the World Cup and European Championships.