Starlet lifts lid on decision to stay with Wigan Athletic 'family'

The young centre-back - along with the rest of his colleagues - were able to hand in their notice after repeatedly not being paid on time under the previous ownership.

While Will Keane, Jack Whatmough and Jamie McGrath chose to move on, Hughes showed his commitment to Wigan by penning a contract extension.

And he's continued to make massive strides this term, captaining the side on several occasions and also breaking into the England Under-20 set-up.

For Hughes, the option to leave Latics was not something he gave serious thought to.

“It was a tough time, what the club was going through," he said. “The respect the club and staff had for the players, you come to the conclusion that you’ve been at the club for so long, you’ve come through the academy, they looked after me.

"I felt it was a no-brainer to stick around and improve as a player and person here.

“We’re more like a family than team-mates. We’re growing together and there’s some players in there who can make this group really special.

"This team has a bright future."

Speaking to the 'i' as part of the EFL's Youth Development Week, Hughes admits he's thriving on the responsibility of being named in the 'Leadership Group' by manager Shaun Maloney last summer.

“I have always grown up being around older lads, so I’ve always taken their advice and I used to speak to a lot of the older ones," he said.

“I have always tried to push on by doing more so when it happened that’s what I did. If I get a setback I’m in the gym doing more or I’m on the pitch trying to do more.

"I want to try and improve and I’d always pull the coach and ask him questions, that’s in my nature.

“I’m trying to improve every day, to train well and play well and be the best version of myself. I just want to let my football do the talking."

The 20-year-old has certainly bounced back from the disappointment of being released from the Liverpool Academy as a teenager.

“At that stage it was about playing with a smile on my face,” said Hughes, who moved to Liverpool after a spell in the Manchester City Academy. “Those setbacks as a youngster, you just sort of take it.”

He’s also not in danger of believing any of the hype written about him, with several clubs in the Premier League and Championship understood to be monitoring his situation.

“I stay away from social media and don’t really read anything about my future and just see it as noise," added Hughes, who only made his league debut on Boxing Day last season in the 4-1 defeat at Middlesbrough. "I don’t allow myself to tune into that stuff and get big-headed. Football is such a rollercoaster and things can change very quickly."