We spoke to our latest recruit, Joe Hugill, after he joined on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season.
He began by saying:
“I’m really happy to be here, excited to get going, I can't wait to play in front of the fans.”
He briefly spoke on his time at Wigan, saying:
“I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot during my time there, it was a good experience.
“It's a great club, with a good manager, players, and staff. So yeah, I really enjoyed it.”
On the move to Brunton Park, Joe said:
“I learned of interest quite early in the window to be fair. Carlisle were interested straight away.
“I’m really excited to be here. I know a few of the lads and I’ve spoke with the manager quite a bit as well.
“He’s been really good. He’s been on the phone with me, explaining the way of playing and what everyone expects of me.”
Joe came to Brunton Park earlier in the season, coming on as a second-half substitute in our FA Cup tie with Wigan, he spoke about that:
“I played here in the FA Cup, it was a weird one. There was the red card early on which changed things, but it was a great outing. I really liked the way Carlisle played.
“The stadium is really nice. I can't wait to see it packed, it’s a big game on Saturday, so it should be a good one.”
Joe spoke on his desire to help the Blues up the table:
“I want to give my support by scoring goals, obviously being a number nine that’s everything you want to do, and I know the players behind me will create the chances for me.”
Joe then discussed his first training session, and getting embedded in the squad, he said:
“Training was quite light, obviously it’s the day before a game, but I really enjoyed it. Good tactical work and getting familiar with the squad.
“Everyone's been really good with me, they’ve welcomed me with open arms, and I can't wait to get going.”
Joe then walked us through his career so far:
“I was at Sunderland from quite a young age, until I was 16, then I went to Man United.
“After that, I had a youth loan at Altrincham, then a loan at Burton in League One, and then of course I was at Wigan at the start of this season, and now I’m here.
“I’ve learned a lot at United, Solskjaer was the manager there when I started, he helped me a lot. With him being a striker himself, I was training a lot with him, so I'd say he really helped me.”
We asked Joe what he’d learned so far, particularly through those loan spells, he responded:
“I think it's just about maturing. Being in the Football League, fighting for three points, it’s completely different to youth level, so I think it's about growing up and making your mark in the league.”
Joe then described his game, to give supporters a better idea of what he’s about:
“I like to play on the shoulder, get running in behind, I like to link it up as well.
“We’ve got top players, especially for this division, so it’s about trying to get the chances created for me, and then it's my job to put them away.”
On Bradford, he said:
“I’m expecting a tough physical game, a lot of energy, we've been through a few clips and everything this morning, they’ve got a lot of energy, they’ve got good players, so it should be a good game.”
Joe finished with a message to the supporters, saying:
“We're in a difficult position at the moment, but the players that have been brought in; and the staff here are phenomenal, so stick with us and we'll get us up the table.”
