Justin Hubner is a 187 cm Dutch-born center-back playing for Wolverhampton’s U21 squad in the Premier League 2. The 20-year-old left footer made his senior international debut for Indonesia on January 2nd in a friendly versus Libya prior the AFC Asian Cup. He was even named to the bench for Wolves’ visit to Arsenal in December. This report evaluates the promising defender’s performances developing in England this season.
The tall and lanky left-sided center-back is an above average athlete. Hubner is an excellent leaper, utilizing that and his height to dominantly win headers in aerial duels. His technique in those situations means long clearances of danger or placing it short at the feet of his teammates accurately. Regarding pace, his long strides make his recoveries into the box quite easy and allow him to cover ground quickly on his long dribbles in progressive carries. His agility is only average as flipping his hips when in 1v1s was not the most natural movement for him. As his body matures this could be an aspect of his athletic profile that improves. Hubner is also much stronger than players at this level, which will translate well to the senior game. Along with that, his body control and knowledge of his frame makes his physical approach to duels something that overwhelms markers when they receive in and around the box. Mentally, there are times that he switches off when marking. Despite this, Hubner is captain of his Wolves’ U21s and leads by example and is seen communicating throughout matches.
Defensively, the new Indonesian national is solid in using his athleticism to his advantage. His prowess physically makes him a tough matchup in 1v1s, as his strength and use of frame makes room hard to come by when beating him on the dribble. On the occasion he is beat in isolation, his recovery pace allows him to reapply pressure from behind, affecting decision-making. Hubner plays with decent anticipation, as well, not coming up with many interceptions but coming up in time to engage in duels for loose balls, but this is where his physicality leads to fouls on the back of attackers. Overall, his on-ball defending is admirable in tight areas and his own third, while outside of those spaces his defense is not far behind. His positioning and footwork are improving which will translate to more reliability. Off ball, as previously mentioned, he does switch off when marking at times, which allows runners through. This means he is directly responsible for goals against—obviously not a positive. With maturity that trait will iron itself out. Hubner is currently a solid defender but there is much room to grow to be a consistent first team player.
In possession is where Hubner shines the most. Beginning with finishing, he has four goals in the Premier League 2 so far. He is a set piece threat especially on crosses. Attacking the back post is his specialty and his finishing with his dominant left on volleys or with his head are deadly to opposition goalkeepers. It would be hard to find a center-back with better finishing than Hubner in England outside of the Premier League. As a left footer in the buildup, he is a key player and very progressive-minded. He is calm on the ball as he patiently scans around him, often finding ground passes to break lines centrally and up the wing. When going for through balls, Hubner is a risk taker and that does not always go in his favor. His decision-making in those spots must be better, settling for the easy lateral pass more often. Regarding progressive passing, he does well on chipped passes, too, although he prefers to stay on the ground. Hubner’s first touch upon receiving is consistently too heavy, so that is a point of development he must deal with as closeouts in the press come faster at the senior level. Outside of that, his technique on the dribble is notable for his position and allows him to progressive carry confidently. When dealing with pressure, Hubner is quick to turn away from it and back pass if not confident in his ability to dribble past it, and those situations allow him to showcase his confidence in his right foot.
In sum, Hubner is a promising profile that will be sought after in the top five leagues in the coming seasons. Wolves must take advantage, keeping him around and seeking a loan to the Championship or League One to continue his development. There are clearly areas of improvement for him that will take some time, but the highlights of his skillset outweigh them. Hubner is certainly one for the future.
Target Scouting 
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