James Wilson (footballer, born 1995)

Manchester United

Born in Biddulph, Staffordshire, Wilson was first scouted by Manchester United at the age of seven. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

In July 2012, Wilson extended his stay at Manchester United, signing as an academy scholar. 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, 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. After scoring a further five goals in his next four competitive appearances, he was rewarded with his first professional contract on his 17th birthday, and celebrated by scoring twice in a 4–2 home win over Southampton that same day. 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.

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. 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. 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.

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.

On 25 September 2015 he signed a new contract with the club until June 2019 with an option to extend for a further year.

Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion

On 26 November 2015, Wilson joined Football League Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal lasting until the end of the season. 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 Amex Stadium, hitting the post. His next game on 5 December was his first start, and he scored his first goal for the team as they came from 0–2 down to defeat Charlton Athletic 3–2.

Loan to Derby County

On 20 August 2016, Wilson joined Championship club Derby County on a loan deal lasting until the end of the 2016–17 season. On 17 October 2016, Wilson suffered a serious knee injury and returned to Manchester United for treatment.

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. In October 2013, Wilson scored on his England under-19 debut in a 6–1 win against Estonia. On 3 September 2015, Wilson scored on his England under-21 debut in a 1–0 win against the United States.

Career statistics