Former Preston North End striker Jordan Hugill on his struggles to cope during lockdown

Former Preston North End striker Jordan Hugill has admitted feeling low during football’s shutdown.
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Hugill, PNE’s record £9.5m sale when he was transferred to West Ham in January 2018, is on a season’s loan from the Hammers at QPR.

His last game before the season was halted was QPR’s 3-1 win over North End at Deepdale on March 7.

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The 27-year-old, like all footballers, is having to stay fit at home. He finds using the gym equipment he has got beneficial to his mental health as well as his physical well-being.

Jordan Hugill tussles with Patrick Bauer during Preston’s clash with Queens Park Rangers at Deepdale in MarchJordan Hugill tussles with Patrick Bauer during Preston’s clash with Queens Park Rangers at Deepdale in March
Jordan Hugill tussles with Patrick Bauer during Preston’s clash with Queens Park Rangers at Deepdale in March

Hugill told Talksport: “I’ve had days where I’ve woken up and had a coffee and sat with my head in my hands and though,t ‘Oh God’.

“I just felt down and there’s no other way to explain it. I’ve read Tyson Fury’s book, he said the biggest thing for him is making sure he’s ready to get to the gym every morning and that sets him on the right path.

“For me, getting up and those days when I’m feeling down I drag myself into the gym, do some work, and I come out feeling a bit better. For the mental health side of it, having been able to do stuff in my own gym is brilliant because it just raises that personal morale a bit more.”

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For some players, weeks in the gym without kicking a ball will be a new experience.

Hugill though, had a long spell out of the game earlier in his career with a cruciate ligament injury.

In his first season at PNE too, he needed surgery on a damaged knee cartilage and was out for a few months.

Said Hugill: “I have been unlucky enough to have a serious injury so I know what it’s like to not kick a ball for a long time.

“You miss going into the training ground, you miss seeing the lads.”