James Wilson (English footballer)
James Antony Wilson (born 1 December 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Salford City. He began his career with Manchester United, and has played on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, Derby County, Sheffield United and Aberdeen. He has also represented England at the under-16, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels.
 Wilson warming up for Manchester United in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Antony Wilson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1 December 1995[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Biddulph, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Salford City | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2014 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2019 | Manchester United | 15 | (3) |
| 2015–2016 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 25 | (5) |
| 2016 | → Derby County (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Sheffield United (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | → Aberdeen (loan) | 24 | (4) |
| 2019–2020 | Aberdeen | 11 | (0) |
| 2020– | Salford City | 19 | (8) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011 | England U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | England U19 | 3 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | England U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2015 | England U21 | 1 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 January 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:32, 19 June 2019 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Born in Biddulph, Staffordshire,[4] Wilson was first scouted by Manchester United at the age of seven.[2] He came through the club's youth academy, and made his first appearance for the under-18s as a 14-year-old in a friendly against Slovak side Tatran Prešov on 31 October 2010.[5] After making his competitive debut for the under-18s against West Bromwich Albion on 5 February 2011, he made a further three league appearances for the team during the 2010–11 season, scoring in the third, a 2–1 home defeat to Everton.[5] After scoring twice in the 2011 Milk Cup, in which Manchester United finished runners-up, Wilson suffered a broken ankle in the second game of the 2011–12 season that kept him out for nearly five months.[2] On his return, he became a regular in the under-18s during the second half of the season, scoring five times in 13 league appearances and twice in the FA Youth Cup.[5] He also made his debut for the reserves during the season, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute for Freddie Veseli in a 1–0 defeat away to West Bromwich Albion on 6 March 2012.[5]
In July 2012, Wilson extended his stay at Manchester United, signing as an academy scholar.[5] He started the 2012–13 season as a regular in the under-18s, and although it took him five games to score his first goal of the season,[5] he caught up quickly with five goals in that fifth game against Newcastle United on 22 September 2012, the second-most goals scored by a Manchester United player at any level during the tenure of manager Sir Alex Ferguson.[2] After scoring a further five goals in his next four competitive appearances,[5] he was rewarded with his first professional contract on his 17th birthday,[2] and celebrated by scoring twice in a 4–2 home win over Southampton that same day.[5] Although he was ruled out by injury from the middle of January to the start of March 2013, he still managed to finish the season as the under-18s' top scorer with 14 goals in 18 league appearances.[5]
Club career
Manchester United
Despite playing a prominent role in the reserves' pre-season campaign ahead of the 2013–14 season, Wilson continued as a regular in the under-18s, scoring seven goals in six consecutive appearances at the start of the season (including three in UEFA Youth League fixtures against Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk), adding another in the reserves' 3–3 Manchester Senior Cup draw with Bury.[5] He became more involved with the reserves in the second half of the season, and after scoring a hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 10 March 2014, Wilson was given his first taste of first-team action on 5 April with a place on the bench for the 4–0 away win over Newcastle United. He made his senior debut a month later when he started a Premier League match at home to Hull City on 6 May, and marked the occasion with two goals in a 3–1 win, a half-volley at the near post and a rebounded goal from a Marouane Fellaini shot, before being replaced by Robin van Persie in the 64th minute.[6][7] On 7 August 2014, Wilson scored all four goals, including three in the second half, in the under-21s' 4–1 victory over Manchester City in the Manchester Senior Cup final.[8] Wilson's first goal of the 2014–15 season came on 17 January 2015, when he came on as a substitute for Jonny Evans and scored in added time at the end of a 2–0 win at Queens Park Rangers.[9] Wilson was released at the end of the 2018–19 season.[10]
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)
On 25 September 2015 he signed a new contract with the club until June 2019 with an option to extend for a further year.[11] On 26 November 2015, Wilson joined Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal until the end of the season.[12] He made his debut for the Seagulls two days later, replacing Bobby Zamora for the final 24 minutes of a 2–1 win over Birmingham City at the Falmer Stadium, hitting the post.[13] Wilson made his first league start for Brighton on 5 December, and scored his first goal for the club, as they came from 0–2 down to defeat Charlton Athletic 3–2.[14] He scored his second goal for Brighton a week later on 12 December, in a 2–2 draw with Derby County.[15]
Wilson featured in both legs of Brighton's Championship play-off semi-final tie against Sheffield Wednesday, coming on as a substitute in the first leg for Tomer Hemed and starting in the second leg.[16][17] Wilson made a total of 28 appearances for Brighton in all competitions throughout his loan spell, scoring five league goals.[18]
Derby County (loan)
On 20 August 2016, Wilson joined Championship club Derby County on a loan deal lasting until the end of the 2016–17 season.[19] On 17 October 2016, Wilson suffered a serious knee injury and returned to Manchester United for treatment, his loan spell subsequently being cut short.[20]
Wilson did not feature for Manchester United's senior team in the 2017–18 season, as he continued to recover from the serious knee injury that he had suffered on loan to Derby.[21] He did, however, feature prominently for the Under-23 side before his loan move to Sheffield United, departing as the side's top goalscorer mid-way through the season.[22]
Sheffield United (loan)
On 10 January 2018, Wilson completed a loan move to Championship club Sheffield United until the end of the 2017–18 season.[23] He made his debut as a substitute against Sheffield Wednesday in the Steel City Derby.
Aberdeen (loan)
Manchester United did not issue Wilson with a squad number for the 2018–19 season, signalling his omission from the club's first-team plans, and on 13 August 2018, he joined Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen on loan for the rest of the season.[24] Wilson scored his first goal for The Dons on 22 September in a 1–0 win against Motherwell.[25]
Aberdeen
On 3 July 2019, Wilson joined Aberdeen on a permanent basis signing a two-year contract.[26]
Salford City
On 31 January 2020, he signed for Salford City on an 18-month contract.[27] He made his debut in a 3–2 defeat to Plymouth Argyle, scoring two goals after coming on as a substitute, which he described as "bittersweet".[28] He ended his first season at Salford with 2 goals in 6 matches in all competitions.
International career
Wilson made one appearance for the England under-16 team, helping England towards a 10th successive Victory Shield title in a 3–0 win against Northern Ireland in March 2011.[29] In October 2013, Wilson scored on his England under-19 debut in a 6–1 win against Estonia.[30] On 3 September 2015, Wilson scored on his England under-21 debut and only cap in a 1–0 win against the United States.[31]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2013–14 | Premier League | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2014–15 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 2 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 15 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2015–16 | Championship | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 27 | 5 | |
| Derby County (loan) | 2016–17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Sheffield United (loan) | 2017–18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | ||
| Aberdeen (loan) | 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 24 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| Aberdeen | 2019–20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 35 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 48 | 4 | |||
| Salford City | 2019-20 | EFL League Two | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2020-21 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 2 | 1 | 16 | 7 | |||
| Total | 17 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | 1 | 22 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 104 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 130 | 23 | ||
- Appearances in Championship play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
References
- "Notification of shirt numbers: Salford City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 61. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- "James Wilson". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- "James Wilson". Sheffield United FC. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- "James Wilson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- "James Wilson". redStat. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- "Manchester United striker James Wilson revels in dream debut". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- Stone, Simon (6 May 2014). "Man Utd 3–1 Hull". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- Marshall, Adam (7 August 2014). "MSC: City 1 United Reserves 4". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- McNulty, Phil (17 January 2015). "QPR 0–2 Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- Murphy, Daniel (18 June 2019). "James Wilson sends classy message after Manchester United release". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- "WILSON SIGNS NEW CONTRACT AT UNITED". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- "Man Utd's Wilson & Wolves' Van La Parra join Brighton on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- "Brighton & Hove Albion 2–1 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- "Brighton & Hove Albion 3–2 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- "Derby County 2–2 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 12 December 2015.
- "Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 13 May 2016.
- "Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 16 May 2016.
- "James Wilson still has Manchester United future but could head out on loan". Lyall Thomas. Sky Sports. 21 July 2016.
- Froggatt, Mark (20 August 2016). "Wilson set to join Derby County on loan". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- "James Wilson: Manchester United striker suffers serious knee injury at Derby". BBC Sport. 21 October 2016.
- "47. James Wilson". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- "TRANSFER NEWS: WILSON LOANED TO SHEFF UTD". Manchester United FC. 10 January 2018.
- "Double Swoop: Evans and Wilson". Sheffield United Football Club. 10 January 2018.
- Marshall, Adam (13 August 2018). "James Wilson completes loan move to Aberdeen". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Aberdeen 1-0 Motherwell | James Wilson First Goal For The Reds! | Ladbrokes Premiership. 22 September 2018.
- "James Wilson makes Aberdeen return after Man United release". BBC Sport. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- "Salford sign ex-Manchester United forward James Wilson and defender Ash Eastham". BBC Sport. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- "Salford 2-3 Plymouth: Bittersweet debut for former Man United man". Salford City News. Newsquest. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- "Northern Ireland v England" TheFA.com. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- "Estonia v England" TheFA.com. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- Marshall, Adam (3 September 2015). "Fellaini and Wilson on target". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- "James Wilson". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
