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Joe Hugill and Burton Albion finished a miserable season with a 3-0 away defeat to Fleetwood Town yesterday.
The Brewers had already been assured of their safety after mid-week results went their way and they finished the season in 20th place, two points above safety in League One.
The away side were 2-0 down after 31 minutes and in truth, were rarely in the game.
They did have 13 shots to the home side’s 15 but only managed to have three of them on target.
The away team also had less of the ball as they shared 44% of the possession.
Manchester United loanee Hugill has been poor of late and it was no surprise that he once again found himself on the bench, in what will be his last game for Burton.
The 20 year old was able to play 39 minutes of the second half and got himself more involved than he has been of late, scoring 6.8 on Sofascore.
The United academy once more failed to have any sort of shot on goal in what has been a very poor goalscoring return. One goal in 18 league matches is not the sort of return any striker is looking for.
However, he did get himself more involved in the build-up play as he had 19 touches of the ball and completed five of his eight passes. The one long ball he attempted also found its intended target.
The youngster continued to find the physical battle of League One difficult as he only won 50% of his ground duels and 40% of his aerial battles.
He was also poor in possession, losing the ball 7 times in the second half.
Hugill did contribute defensively however, blocking one shot and making two tackles.
The former Sunderland academy player will now take a well-earned holiday and return to Carrington to be assessed by the United staff in pre-season.
A return to under 21 football is hardly likely to be the best solution and he is clearly not ready to contribute to the first team, so another loan to League One or League Two may be the best option.
The youngster has certainly struggled but the experience of senior football in England’s third tier will definitely stand him in good stead for the future.
Perhaps, finding a loan club with a team that is better on the ball and not struggling for their lives will aid the striker’s development in the long term.
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