Ross County manager Malky Mackay revealed it took just two minutes to secure the services of Watford winger Joseph Hungbo this season – and he’d jump at the chance of taking him back again.
And he’s sure the swashbuckling 22-year-old has advanced to new heights in the Highlands as he aims to help shoot the club into Europe.
While fellow wing star Regan Charles-Cook is rightly getting plenty of plaudits as he leads the Premiership scoring charts with 13 goals, Hungbo is showing class in big moments, too.
He won and scored the penalty which took County instead of Aberdeen into the top six earlier this month with a 1-0 win at Pittodrie.
Hungbo took advice – then delivered
Ex-Watford boss Mackay explained how a pep talk over the festive period raised the bar and the player has been delivering consistently ever since.
He said: “Joe’s a great young boy with an interesting upbringing, who has been on loan down in England.
“He’s at Watford, where there is quite a big squad, and there has been a turnover with a variety of managers. He has learned a lot about himself, even down to living on his own.
“I spoke to him around Christmas about his final product. I felt it was not quite where it should have been and I showed him seven chances where he should have scored. He really could have been right up there in terms of league goals at that point.
“Joe agreed and I asked him to, in the second half of the season, try to work on that final part.
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Watch the 12 contenders and click the link below to cast your vote before 5pm on Friday!👇
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 25, 2022
“He has now scored seven goals and he’s having a real impact and hopefully he goes on to do that again next year.
“I must say a big thanks to Watford, because it was a quick and painless conversation I had with their sporting director. It was done in two minutes.
“Joe has embraced it. We’re at the other end of the country and it’s so different up here.”
Watford will decide ace’s next move
Hungbo is under contract at Watford until 2024, but Mackay would jump at the chance to take him back next season should the Hornets agree it would be the right move for him.
The manager said: “We will have the conversation with Watford about what happens next season and it will be down to Watford as to where they see his future.
“He’s certainly a boy I would welcome back here with open arms.”
Mackay missed Hungbo’s spot-kick
Looking back at Hungbo’s ice-cool spot kick against the Dons, Mackay missed the moment as he was talking to his assistant Don Cowie.
However, he knows it took guts and class to bury a spot-kick in such fashion with so much riding on it.
He added: “Cookie (Regan Charles-Cook) grabbed the ball off Joseph ahead of the penalty he scored at Aberdeen. Cookie got stick from the guys, knowing Joe was going to take it.
“I was speaking to Don Cowie about what we were going to do in terms of a substitution. As the penalty went in, I missed the timing of it, I turned around again and missed it.
“Bearing in mind – we’d missed three penalties of nine taken this season. I was thinking about it later that night and it was a penalty under real pressure.
“The boy, at 22, has only just started taking penalties and great credit to him because he wasn’t long on the pitch.
“He won the penalty with six minutes to go in a really important game. He smashed it in.”
Hungbo’s cracking free-kick goal in the 5-0 rout of Dundee in October, meanwhile, is in the running to be PFA Scotland’s Scottish Premiership goal of the season, run in conjunction with Sky Sports Scotland.
The vote closes at 5pm on Friday. See skysports.com for more details.
