The reality hit quickly. Hughes, who had spent years working her way up through the ranks, suddenly found herself on the sidelines, navigating the gruelling road to recovery.
She said: “It was obviously really tough to take. The first few weeks were such a rollercoaster for me.
“It was like, ‘you’ve won the league, you’ve done your ACL, you’ve won all the individual awards,’ then you have your operation. And then it’s like learning to walk again.”
But Hughes is nothing if not resilient. She poured herself into rehab, sacrificing her summer to ensure she could return as quickly – and as strongly – as possible.
“It was just me and my physio for like May, June, July. And we smashed it out,” she said.
Now, the striker is on the other side of that journey. The hard work has paid off, and Hughes is back, ready to make her mark in Palace’s first-ever WSL campaign.
Hughes said: “Obviously when the team got promoted, I was like, well, I want to play as much part of the WSL as I can.
“And then little things along the way then obviously motivate me even more. And I say little things, but it’s like the massive summer that Wales have got ahead.”