Wigan Athletic: Charlie Hughes could bow out with irony following Charlton Athletic exploits: View | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic's Charlie Hughes has been linked with a move to Championship side Hull City, but made a big error against Charlton Athletic on Saturday

Wigan Athletic star and homegrown talent Charlie Hughes is one of the Greater Manchester club's most prised assets, and Championship outfit Hull City are interested in signing him this summer.

According to the Hull Daily Mail, the Tigers have made a bid of £5m for the England Under-20 international, who was left out of Shaun Maloney's starting XI on Saturday afternoon as the Latics took on Charlton Athletic.

Hughes would undoubtedly be a strong signing for the Tigers if they are able to secure his services and would be an adequate replacement for fellow central defender Jacob Greaves, who left for Premier League new boys Ipswich Town earlier this summer.

Having left Hughes on the bench, Maloney chose to introduce the starlet to the action on 73 minutes, as he replaced former Exeter City man Will Aimson who impressed on debut at the Brick Community Stadium.

But just five minutes after coming onto the pitch, the 20-year-old received a booking for making an uncharacteristic, poorly-timed tackle.

Then, in the 81st minute, Hughes was at fault for Charlton's winning goal as the Addicks claimed a 1-0 victory, after the centre-half's attempted headed clearance landed at the feet of Lloyd Jones, who scored from inside the box.

Hughes could leave Latics in ironic circumstances

Links between Hughes and the Tigers are not going away, which could mean that his last appearance in Latics colours was on Saturday afternoon.

In fact, Wigan boss Maloney recently told Wigan Today that the comments from Tigers chiefs surrounding their transfer interest in him have been difficult to deal with.

He said: "If they want to talk publicly about one of my players, I can't really do much about it.

"It does make my job slightly harder, and a little bit harder for the boy, but it's out of my control."

Hughes has performed exceptionally well for the Latics since breaking into the first team during the 2022/23 Championship campaign, so it would be ironic if his last-ever appearance at the Brick Community Stadium turns out to be a game in which he made an error leading to the Addicks' winning goal.

Last season, the young defender really showed his class and was thoroughly deserving of all the England youth international caps that came his way.

Hughes is not only solid defensively, he is also a key component to the way in which the Latics play possession-based football out from the back under Maloney's stewardship.

Furthermore, he is a dangerous player when he joins the attack in set-piece situations and scored on four occasions in League One last season.

Hughes would be a big loss for Latics

The centre-back's potential move to Hull looks as though it is now only a matter of time, while his departure would be damaging to the Latics' play-off hopes.

He proved during the 2022/23 season that he is capable of operating at Championship level, and he is one of the best defenders in League One, so his presence would clearly help the Greater Manchester side in their quest for a top-six spot.

The Latics will likely feel his absence both in and out of possession, and his fellow defenders will have to make a big collective effort to fill the void Hughes is set to leave.

Meanwhile, if the starlet does depart, Maloney will hope that it happens sooner rather than later so that he can utilise a potentially lucrative transfer fee.