Former Preston North End forward Jordan Hugill joined Middlesbrough on loan from West Ham United in the summer transfer window.
Hugill, who joined Middlesbrough on loan from Premier League club West Ham in the summer transfer window, worked with Neil at Preston.
The 26-year-old forward moved to the Hammers from Preston in January 2018 for a transfer fee reported by Football.London to be worth £10 million.
The former Port Vale forward could feature for Middlesbrough in their Carabao Cup third-round tie against Preston away from home at Deepdale this evening.
Neil told The Lancashire Post about Hugill ahead of the match: “Does it give us any type of advantage in that we know what is coming? Not really.
“If a hurricane is coming and it is going to land on your doorstep, it’s not pretty or nice but you have to do something to deal with it.
“Jordan Hugill is a bit like a hurricane, flinging his arms and elbows around. The lad did brilliantly for us, we know he is going to be physical and we have to fight against that.”
West Ham United struggles
Hugill struggled to make an impact during the second half of last season at West Ham, and it did not come as a surprise that the forward moved to Middlesbrough in the Championship in the summer transfer window.
The 26-year-old was able to play just 22 minutes of Premier League football for the Hammers, according to WhoScored.
The forward has made one start and three substitute appearances in the Championship for Middlesbrough so far this campaign, according to WhoScored.
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