Have Liverpool given up in the race to sign this English wonderkid?

As Will Hughes can find his teammates with pin-point accuracy, chase down the opposition with the utmost determination, and hold onto the ball as if it were seemingly stuck to his feet – sometimes it’s hard to remember that Derby’s young creative midfielder is actually English.

Very few of his Championship counter-parts are as technically gifted as the Surrey born 19-year-old, and even though Hughes remains very much a raw talent in need of further development, he is soon becoming known as one of England’s most exciting prospects in many a year.

Despite being strong favourites to land the fiery blonde haired midfielder last season, Liverpool have now seemingly cooled their interest in Hughes after the young talent signed a new four-year-deal with Derby over the summer. But will such developments ultimately end Brendan Rodgers’ desire to sign the Pride Park favourite, or does a lucrative move to Anfield still await Will Hughes this January?

With all the possession play, tight passing and free-flowing football that was produced by Rodgers’ side last season, it comes as no surprise that the Reds wanted to add Will Hughes to their already bulky roster. The 19-year-old would have certainly fitted in with the footballing philosophy that was aimed for by Suarez and co, even if the immediate step-up to the Premier League initially proved difficult for the Derby star.

Whilst such a move would have been ideal for Rodgers last season, this year’s campaign has seen Liverpool completely fail to reach the high standards that they set in 2013/14, and without the dpearted Luis Suarez and injured Daniel Sturridge, the Reds hardly look worthy of a place in the top half of the Premier League, let a lone a top four spot.

Such a poor turn in form has therefore likely not gone unnoticed by Will Hughes in his attempts to work out where best to play out his career. Liverpool have become slightly more direct with their new strikers on board, and as the Merseyside club are no strangers to signing promising young English talent for way over the odds, only to see them later fail as a result of their over ambitious spending, Will Hughes could have become one in a long line of young prospects who simply failed to make the grade at Anfield.

That is not to say that the Hughes would definitely struggle at Liverpool now however, among the likes the recently impressive Lazar Markovic and Philippe Coutinho, Hughes could in-fact still be the perfect fit for Rodgers’ should his time come in the Premier League.

Although the discussion remains no more than mere transfer talk at this current stage, Derby County’s desire to keep a hold of their latest sensation arrives in much more definitive terms. Upon Hughes signing his new deal in the summer, Rams boss Steve McClaren reflected: “He is a promising young talent and we are looking forward to working with him over the next few years.”

Whilst such statements should never be taken for gospel and could literally change overnight, it seems that for the moment at least, Will Hughes remains very much a Derby County player, and should his side achieve promotion to the Premier League this season, this young star will likely be playing for the Rams, not the Reds.

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