Mark Hughes tells Bradford City strikers: Learn from Matt Derbyshire like I learnt from Gianluca Vialli

A chest infection last week stopped Derbyshire making his debut in Tuesday's League Two defeat to Rochdale, but he could figure at Wimbledon on Saturday.

The 36-year-old has the Premier League, Greek Super League, Cypriot First Division, Australian A-League and Indian Super League on his CV – not to mention a number of Football League clubs, including Rotherham United.

At 31 and 32 respectively, Vadaine Oliver and Andy Cook might think they know their games inside out, but there is always something to learn, as their manager can attest.

Hughes was 32, the owner of every major English medal plus a European Cup Winners' Cup gong, an experienced international who had played in La Liga and the Bundesliga when he became a team-mate of former Italy striker, Serie A, Champions League and UEFA Cup winner Gianluca Vialli at Chelsea in 1996.

"Luca initially struggled because he was used to getting free-kicks from referees and probably went down a little bit too easily," says Hughes of the striker who died of cancer last week. "He was in and out of the team but he was still really professional whenever he played.

"I used to admire his understanding of the game, his intelligence, the clever way he made space for himself and others.

"He'd come from the Italian league, which was more tactical than the Premier League at that stage. He was constantly creating little movements or getting into little pockets of space.

"I'd been at Manchester United for the majority of my career but my three years there were really enlightening. There were so many different players who'd come from all over Europe from top teams and your eyes opened to different ways of doing things."

Oliver has got the message.

"Football's forever changing and you can always pick up things from other players," he says. "If you don't listen to others, you're never going to progress. I always want to progress.

"If I see little movements he does that might get him half a yard I'm going to try it myself."

It means having finally broken into the side Oliver has another fight on his hands. That is what you sign up to at a big club.

"I was a striker at Man United and every year there was talk they were buying a striker so I had to see quite a few off," smiles Hughes. “It was a little bit like that at Chelsea as well.

"Quite possibly the intention at Chelsea was that Luca was going to play instead of me. When he came to be the player-manager he was able to pick himself but I never resented that because I respected him as a man and a top, top player."

Oliver and Cook face with similar challenges – and opportunities.

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I let good players take other opportunities when possibly they could come here,” argues Hughes.

"If you forgo those opportunities you're going to be left behind so as a player you should embrace the challenge and think if someone's coming in I've got to do a little bit better."