William James Hughes was born on 17 April 1995 and is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Crystal Palace.
24 Facts About Will Hughes
2.
Will Hughes made his move to the Premier League with Watford in 2017, helping the Hornets reach the FA Cup final in 2019 and maintain top-flight football for three seasons.
3.
Will Hughes was first educated at St Peter's Junior school and then Repton School for secondary school in Derbyshire, where he was a boarder attending on a sports scholarship.
4.
Will Hughes made his full debut for Derby as a 90th-minute substitute for Jamie Ward.
5.
At Derby's awards night, Will Hughes won the Scholar of the Year Award.
6.
Will Hughes signed a new contract in October 2012, committing his future at the club until summer 2015.
7.
In November 2012, Will Hughes was linked with moves to Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.
8.
Will Hughes was named the Football League Young Player of the Month for November 2012, after a series of impressive performances.
9.
Will Hughes is one of these wonderful talents, so he is always on lists.
10.
On 8 August 2015 in the season opener against Bolton, Will Hughes damaged his anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee and was ruled out for six months.
11.
On 13 January 2017, Will Hughes signed a new contract with Derby, running until the summer of 2020.
12.
Will Hughes has stated that he stagnated at the end of his Derby career, and believes he wasn't manager Gary Rowett's "cup of tea".
13.
Will Hughes became newly appointed manager Marco Silva's first signing of the season.
14.
Will Hughes remained at Watford, playing a crucial role as Watford earned promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, finishing the Championship league campaign as runners-up.
15.
On 28 August 2021, Will Hughes signed a three-year deal with Premier League club, Crystal Palace.
16.
On 17 January 2012, Will Hughes was called up to the England U17 for the first time for the Algarve Tournament in February 2012, he was joined by his teammate Mason Bennett.
17.
Will Hughes appeared in all three match, as England won the three-match tournament with seven points.
18.
On 19 November 2013, Will Hughes scored his first goal for England U21 against San Marino U21.
19.
In November 2012, Will Hughes made his first appearance for the England U21 squad in a friendly against Northern Ireland U21 on 13 November.
20.
Will Hughes came on as a 65th-minute substitute for Josh McEachran, becoming the second youngest player to get capped for the U21s, beaten only by Theo Walcott.
21.
Will Hughes claimed eligibility to play for the Wales national team through Welsh paternal grandparents in 2019.
22.
However, earlier research by the Football Association of Wales in 2015 concluded that only his great-grandparents were Welsh and therefore Will Hughes was ineligible to represent Wales.
23.
Will Hughes has been described as a "flair player" who uses through balls and mazy runs to create space for teammates and beat opposition defences in attacking positions.
24.
Will Hughes said in a December 2012 interview for the BBC, that he bases his play on Barcelona and Spanish international central midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta.