William James Hughes (born 17 April 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Crystal Palace.

Having graduated a scholarship with Derby County,[4] Hughes made his first team breakthrough during the 2012–13 season;[5] his performances resulted in him earning attraction from multiple clubs across Europe.

[6] Hughes made his move to the Premier League with Watford in 2017,[7] helping the Hornets reach the FA Cup final in 2019 and maintain top-flight football for three seasons.

[12][13] Having briefly been on the books of Nottingham Forest, Hughes played for local side Mickleover Jubilee, before leaving Repton to sign for Derby County as a first-year scholar in the summer of 2011.

It was his "outstanding"[15] performance in a 1–0 win over Port Vale reserves in the competition on 1 November which brought him to manager Nigel Clough's attention for possible inclusion in the Derby first-team squad against Peterborough United four days later.

Despite entering the match late with the scores level, there was still time for Hughes' first-team debut to end in defeat as a 94th-minute goal saw Peterborough win 3–2.

[21] After impressing in pre-season, Clough said that Hughes could be in line for a place in the starting line-up in the first match of the season against Scunthorpe United in the League Cup.

[33] Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Hughes was expected to compete with Craig Bryson, Paul Coutts and Jeff Hendrick, with then-manager Nigel Clough stating that rotation could be utilised.

[36] This was Hughes' last goal under Nigel Clough, who was sacked a week later following a 1–0 defeat at the hands of rivals Nottingham Forest in the East Midlands derby.

[37][38] Clough was replaced by former England manager Steve McClaren,[39] and Hughes scored in his first match in charge of Derby; a 3–1 win against Leeds United.

[43] Despite interest from Premier League giants Manchester United,[44] Hughes remained at Derby for their 2016–17 Championship campaign, under new manager Nigel Pearson.

[50] 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".

[51] He made his Premier League debut on 28 October 2017, coming on as a substitute for André Carrillo in the 80th minute, during a 1–0 defeat against Stoke City at Vicarage Road.

Hughes was also called up the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round in March 2012, however England failed to qualify for the main tournament, finishing third in their group on four points, with their exit confirmed in a 4–0 loss to Spain U17.

[5] Derby youth academy director Darren Wassall praised Hughes after his call-up to the England U21 side, saying "It's a great achievement to get in at 17 and we are all delighted for him.

[67] 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.

[12] Hughes said in a December 2012 interview for the BBC, that he bases his play on Barcelona and Spanish international central midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.