{"id":322907,"date":"2024-09-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/?p=322907"},"modified":"2024-09-20T09:01:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T21:01:02","slug":"young-centre-back-recommits-to-the-nix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/young-centre-back-recommits-to-the-nix\/","title":{"rendered":"Young centre back recommits to the Nix"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Isaac Hughes has signed a three-year contract extension with the Wellington Phoenix, committing to the club through until the end of the 2027-28 A-League. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The centre back made 11 appearances for the Phoenix last season after graduating from the club\u2019s academy, and was voted the Isuzu UTE A-League player of the month for February.

Hughes, 20, is delighted to be able to continue his growth in Wellington.

\u201cIt\u2019s good to get a long-term deal sorted,\u201d he said. \u201cIt means I have more time guaranteed to live my dream.

\u201cI wanted to re-sign with the Nix because of the staff we have and the culture we have.\u201d

Hughes has his sights set on becoming a regular in the Phoenix starting XI this season, with a spot opening up following Finn Surman\u2019s move to the Portland Timbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 18: Isaac Hughes of the Phoenix celebrates a challenge with team mates during the A-League Men round 17 match between Macarthur FC and Wellington Phoenix at Campbelltown Stadium, on February 18, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to start every game and build a partnership with whoever is next to me.

\u201cThe club has a clear philosophy at the minute of developing and selling young players and that\u2019s one of the reasons why I signed a long-term deal with the club, to give me that time.

\u201cIf I do as well as I can, I can move on into Europe and hopefully it can be a win-win.\u201d

And he has lofty targets for the team in his second season as a professional.

\u201cI think everyone\u2019s main goal is the same; just win the league.

\u201cWe haven\u2019t won a trophy yet as a club and that\u2019s the main objective. I think we\u2019ve got a really strong team and a really good opportunity.\u201d

A pair of Manchester United legends have inspired Isaac Hughes\u2019 position, playing style, and even his squad number.

\u201cNemanja Vidic was always my favourite player growing up, and I\u2019ve now got his proper number, 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PERTH, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 24: Isaac Hughes of the Phoenix in action during the A-League Men round 18 match between Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix at HBF Park, on February 24, 2024, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – MAY 17: Lukas Kelly-Heald (L) and Isaac Hughes warm up during a Wellington Phoenix A-League training session at NZCIS on May 17, 2024 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to be like Vidic, hence why I took his number,\u00a0 but I also want to be like Rio Ferdinand.

\u201cIn my head I think \u2018Rio on the ball and Vidic off the ball\u2019, show that quality on the ball and be as aggressive as I can off the ball and win everything.\u201d

Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano says Hughes has all of the attributes he needs from a central defender.

\u201cHughesy is strong, a good communicator, and works very hard,\u201d Italiano said.

\u201cHe\u2019s always got something to prove, always wants to get better, and he embraces learning.

\u201cHe\u2019s always applying himself to be a better professional than the previous day. For me, there\u2019s only one way you can go if you keep going like that.\u201d

\u201cI want to build around players like him. I see Hughesy as the long-term future of the club.\u201d

Isaac Hughes is the second player to commit to the Phoenix through to 2028, joining fullback Matt Sheridan who signed his own three-year contract extension earlier this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":322908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[328,329,330,356,343],"tags":[],"competition":[],"acf":{"match_card_embed_league":null,"match_card_embed_club":null,"match_card_embed_match":false,"match_card_embed_disable":false,"auto_publish_updates":true,"reference_article":null,"article_featured_video":"","article_featured_video_tagline":"","article_byline":"","article_media_type":"news","article_video":"","gallery":"","shared_ffa_source":"keepup","shared_hide_in_app":false,"article_player":"","article_team":"","article_competition":"","article_match":"","credit":"","related_articles":"","push_to_social":false,"priority":1,"sport":false,"language":"en","private_content":false,"access_level":"","article_id":"","app_featured_image":null,"article_content_group":"news"},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/young-centre-back-recommits-to-the-nix\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Young centre back recommits to the Nix","url":"http:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/young-centre-back-recommits-to-the-nix\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/young-centre-back-recommits-to-the-nix\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/09\/IH-EXTENSION-Yellow-Web-1920x1080-1.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/09\/IH-EXTENSION-Yellow-Web-1920x1080-1.png"},"articleSection":"Academy News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"roshi"}],"creator":["roshi"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wellington Phoenix","logo":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/04\/cropped-Wellington_Phoenix_FC_logo-2.png"},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2024-09-19T22:00:00Z","datePublished":"2024-09-19T22:00:00Z","dateModified":"2024-09-19T22:00:00Z"},"rendered":"