U23s midfielder discusses signing his first professional deal with the Club in the summer, and his excitement for the future

Harry McHugh | “I’m really excited for my future at Wigan.”
Midfielder reflects on signing his first professional deal in the summer, and the U23s start to the Professional Development League campaign
McHugh has been with Latics Academy since he was an Under 13

After signing his first professional deal with the Club in the summer, Wigan Athletic U23s midfielder Harry McHugh is excited for what his future has in store at the DW Stadium.

McHugh arrived at Latics' Academy following his departure from Everton as an Under 13 and has progressed through the age groups during his time in the youth ranks. He contributed to several goals and assists for Latics U18s in the 2020/21 campaign, before returning from injury at the back end of the season to help Latics become National Champions in May.

Rewarded for his impressive performances with his first professional contract, McHugh described the feeling as a dream come true and spoke of his excitement for the future.

“To turn professional is a dream come true for me and my family,” he said.

“To make my family proud makes me feel good, and it’s a bit of payback to my mum and dad for all the trips they have made to take me to training and watching me play for years.

“I was over the moon when I was offered the professional deal and it’s everything that I’ve been working towards for most of my life, so to finally put pen to paper was an unbelievable feeling.

“All the people around the place are good, genuine people and I honestly feel like I could sit and have a chat about anything with anyone here. The coaches who have worked with me throughout have also helped me develop a lot as a player. I’ll always be extremely thankful for it.

“I’m really excited for my future at Wigan, and I can hopefully stay here as long as possible.”

McHugh has been an ever-present for the U23s at the start of the 2021/22 Professional Development League, with the midfielder playing an integral role in helping Latics record successive victories in their last two fixtures against Leeds United and Charlton Athletic.

The 19-year-old is hoping that his side can take confidence from their upturn in form, and work towards a successful season.

“I think the first few games of the U23s season was a bit shaky with a few players on trial, but I think now we have a solid base, we can do a lot better than what we first thought at the start of the season," he said.

“The changing room is a lot brighter, and everyone seems a lot better with themselves after the last two wins. It has given everyone a lot of confidence going into our next few fixtures.

“I think there’s a lot more to come from us. We’ve only been a full squad for the last few weeks, and I think the more games we play, the better we will become, and we’ll start picking up a lot more points.”

Latics U23s will return to action against Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday 29 September 2021, with the Professional Development League encounter kicking off at 3pm.

Harry McHugh | “I’m really excited for my future at Wigan.”