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James Wilson (footballer, born 1995)

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For the Welsh footballer, see James Wilson (Welsh footballer).

James Wilson
Wilson warming up for Manchester United in 2015
Personal information
Full name James Antony Wilson[1]
Date of birth (1995-12-01) 1 December 1995 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Biddulph, England[3]
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[4]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Port Vale
Number 9
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)
2020–2021 Salford City 29 (9)
2021– Port Vale 52 (11)
International career
2011 England U16 1 (0)
2013 England U19 3 (1)
2014–2015 England U20 4 (0)
2015 England U21 1 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:00, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

James Antony Wilson (born 1 December 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League Two club Port Vale.

He began his career with Manchester United, and was at the club's Academy for ten years before he signed his first professional contract at the age of 17. He has also represented England at the under-16, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. He scored two goals on his Premier League debut in May 2014, and played 17 first-team game during the 2014–15 campaign, scoring another two goals. He spent most of the 2015–16 season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring five goals in 25 Championship games.

Wilson started the 2016–17 season on loan at Derby County, but returned to Old Trafford after suffering a serious knee injury in October. He spent the second half of the 2017–18 season on loan at Sheffield United and joined Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen on loan for the start of the 2018–19 season. He joined Aberdeen on a permanent basis in July 2019 and then returned to England to sign with League Two side Salford City in January 2020, where he would gain an EFL Trophy winner's medal. He joined Port Vale after being released from Salford at the end of the 2020–21 campaign and helped the club to win promotion out of League Two via the play-offs in 2022.

Early life and youth career

Born in Biddulph, Staffordshire,[3] 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 Frédéric Veseli in a 1–0 defeat away to West Bromwich Albion on 6 March 2012.[5]

In July 2012, Wilson extended his stay at Old Trafford, 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, 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] In September 2015, he signed a new contract with the club until June 2019, with an option to extend for a further year.[10] However he left the club on loan two months later, leading to criticism of manager Louis van Gaal, who defended his decision by saying "I think for him it's better to play at his age than sit on the bench"; assistant manager Ryan Giggs, who had given Wilson his debut, was reportedly frustrated with van Gaal's decision.[11][12] Wilson was not included in the first-team during José Mourinho's time as manager from May 2016 onwards and was released at the end of the 2018–19 season.[13][14]

Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)

On 26 November 2015, Wilson joined Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal until the end of the 2015–16 season.[15] 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, and came close to scoring after hitting the post.[16] Wilson made his first league start for Brighton on 5 December, and scored his first goal for the club, as they came from 2–0 down to defeat Charlton Athletic 3–2.[17] He scored his second goal for Brighton a week later on 12 December, in a 2–2 draw with Derby County.[18] Wilson featured in both legs of Brighton's Championship play-off semi-final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, coming on as a substitute in the first leg for Tomer Hemed and starting in the second leg.[19][20] Wilson made a total of 28 appearances for Brighton in all competitions throughout his loan spell, scoring five league goals, and manager Chris Hughton said that he was returning to Manchester United as a better player.[21][22]

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.[23] He made his debut for the Rams six days later, coming on as a 56th-minute substitute for Jacob Butterfield in a 1–0 defeat.[24] Manager Nigel Pearson gave him his first start on 10 September, in a 2–0 defeat to Newcastle United at Pride Park Stadium.[25] On 17 October, Wilson suffered a serious knee injury and returned to Manchester United for treatment, his loan spell subsequently being cut short.[26] Newly appointed Derby manager Steve McClaren said that "it's incredibly disappointing news... [but] he will bounce back from this disappointment. As well as being a very good player, he is also a strong and determined character".[27]

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.[28] He made his debut at Bramall Lane two days later as a 66th-minute substitute for Clayton Donaldson against Sheffield Wednesday in the Steel City derby, which ended in a 0–0 draw.[29] He made his first start eight days later, and scored the opening goal of a 2–1 victory at Norwich City, earning praise for his work-rate after the game from manager Chris Wilder.[30] This would be the only goal of his nine appearances for the Blades.[31]

Aberdeen

On 13 August 2018, Wilson joined Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen on loan for the rest of the 2018–19 season.[32] He scored his first goal for the Dons on 22 September, in a 1–0 win against Motherwell at Pittodrie.[33] He ended the campaign with four league goals from 12 starts and 12 substitute appearances, including a substitute appearance in the League Cup final defeat to Celtic at Hampden Park.[34][35] On 3 July 2019, Wilson joined Aberdeen on a permanent basis, signing a two-year contract.[36] Manager Derek McInnes said that "we feel that he showed glimpses towards the end of last season how effective a player he can be and what a positive impact he can have on the team".[37] He played 16 games without scoring a goal in the first half of the 2019–20 season.[38]

Salford City

On 31 January 2020, he returned to England and signed at 18-month contract with League Two club Salford City.[39] He made his debut in a 3–2 defeat to Plymouth Argyle at Moor Lane on 11 February, scoring two goals after coming on as a substitute, which he described as "bittersweet".[40] He made a further five appearances for Graham Alexander's Ammies in what remained of the 2019–20 campaign.[38] He picked up his first honour after playing in the 2020 EFL Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, where Salford beat Portsmouth on penalties following a 0–0 draw, though he did not take part in the shoot-out as he was replaced by Luke Burgess on 87 minutes.[41] He was released by new manager Gary Bowyer after scoring eight goals from 29 games in the 2020–21 season.[42]

Port Vale

James Wilson for Port Vale in November 2021

On 7 June 2021, Salford's League Two rivals Port Vale announced they had signed the player on a two-year contract; manager Darrell Clarke stated that "his pedigree is fantastic and I’m sure he will prove a great attacking threat for us next season".[43][44] He scored his first goal for the "Valiants" on 18 September, in a 2–0 win over Harrogate Town at Vale Park, and was praised by Clarke for his work-rate in the post-match interview.[45] He started 12 of Vale's first 14 league games of the 2021–22 campaign, building up his fitness from playing the opening 65, 70 or 75 minutes to last 90 minutes twice in a week.[46] He scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 victory over Accrington Stanley in an FA Cup first round match on 6 November.[47] He had scored five goals in four games, when he was sidelined for 'several weeks' with a broken foot.[48][49] He returned to action in the new year and scored his tenth goal in March; acting manager Andy Crosby praised his strike partnership with Jamie Proctor and said that: "there is more to come from Willo... he appreciates the surroundings, the culture, the environment we have got".[50] He scored both of Vale's goals in the play-off semi-final tie with Swindon Town, and also converted the opening penalty kick in the ensuing penalty shoot-out victory.[51] He was named as man of the match in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium as Vale secured promotion with a 3–0 victory over Mansfield Town; Michael Baggaley of The Sentinel wrote that Wilson put in "a classy performance throughout".[52][53]

Wilson missed the start of the 2022–23 season with a calf injury and returned to training in September.[54] He went on to form an effective strike partnership with new signing Ellis Harrison.[55]

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.[56] In October 2013, Wilson scored on his England under-19 debut in a 6–1 win against Estonia.[57] On 3 September 2015, Wilson scored on his England under-21 debut and only cap in a 1–0 win against the United States.[58]

Style of play

Wilson is a hard working and intelligent forward.[59]

Career statistics

As of match played 24 November 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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[60] Premier League 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
2014–15[61] Premier League 13 1 3 1 1 0 — — 17 2
2015–16[62] Premier League 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 2 0
2016–17[63] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2017–18[31] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2018–19[34] Premier League 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[62] Championship 25 5 0 0 0 0 — 2[a] 0 27 5
Derby County (loan) 2016–17[63] Championship 4 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 4 0
Sheffield United (loan) 2017–18[31] Championship 8 1 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 9 1
Aberdeen (loan) 2018–19[34] Scottish Premiership 24 4 5 0 3 0 — — 32 4
Aberdeen 2019–20[38] Scottish Premiership 11 0 0 0 2 0 3[b] 0 — 16 0
Total 35 4 5 0 5 0 3 0 — 48 4
Salford City 2019–20[38] League Two 5 2 0 0 0 0 — 1[c] 0 6 2
2020–21[64] League Two 24 7 1 0 1 0 — 3[c] 1 29 8
Total 29 9 1 0 1 0 — 4 1 35 10
Port Vale 2021–22[65] League Two 41 9 2 3 1 0 — 3[d] 3 47 15
2022–23[66] League One 11 2 0 0 0 0 — 1 0 12 2
Total 52 11 2 3 1 0 — 4 3 59 17
Career total 168 33 12 4 9 0 3 0 10 4 202 41
  1. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in League Two play-offs

Honours

Aberdeen

Salford City

Port Vale

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Salford City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 61. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "James Wilson". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b "James Wilson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  4. ^ James Wilson at Soccerbase
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "James Wilson". redStat. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  6. ^ "Manchester United striker James Wilson revels in dream debut". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  7. ^ Stone, Simon (6 May 2014). "Man Utd 3–1 Hull". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  8. ^ Marshall, Adam (7 August 2014). "MSC: City 1 United Reserves 4". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  9. ^ McNulty, Phil (17 January 2015). "QPR 0–2 Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  10. ^ "Wilson Signs New Contract At United". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal defends James Wilson loan". Sky Sports. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  12. ^ Quarrell, Dan (28 November 2015). "Ryan Giggs 'frustrated' by Manchester United's treatment of James Wilson - report". Eurosport UK. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  13. ^ Murphy, Daniel (18 June 2019). "James Wilson sends classy message after Manchester United release". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  14. ^ Bellshaw, George (23 June 2016). "Mourinho to tell Man Utd man to leave the club this summer". Metro. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Brighton sign Wilson & Van La Parra". BBC Sport. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 2–1 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  17. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 3–2 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  18. ^ "Derby County 2-2 Brighton". BBC Sport. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  19. ^ Cartwright, Phil (13 May 2016). "Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Brighton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  20. ^ Cartwright, Phil (16 May 2016). "Brighton 1-1 Sheffield Wed (1-3 agg)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  21. ^ "James Wilson still has Manchester United future but could head out on loan". Lyall Thomas. Sky Sports. 21 July 2016.
  22. ^ Topliss, Ben (14 May 2016). "Chris Hughton: James Wilson will go back to Man United a better player". thepeoplesperson.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  23. ^ Froggatt, Mark (20 August 2016). "Wilson set to join Derby County on loan". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  24. ^ Aloia, Andrew (26 August 2016). "Burton Albion 1-0 Derby County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  25. ^ "Derby County 0-2 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  26. ^ "Wilson suffers serious knee injury". BBC Sport. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  27. ^ "James Wilson facing lengthy spell out after suffering serious knee injury". Belfast Telegraph. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  28. ^ "Sheffield United FC". Sheffield United FC. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  29. ^ "Sheffield United 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  30. ^ Nieboer, Leo (23 January 2018). "Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder delighted with James Wilson's goalscoring debut". thepeoplesperson.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  31. ^ a b c "Games played by James Wilson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  32. ^ Marshall, Adam (13 August 2018). "James Wilson completes loan move to Aberdeen". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  33. ^ "Wilson goal gives Dons win over Well". BBC Sport. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  34. ^ a b c "Games played by James Wilson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  35. ^ "Celtic v Aberdeen: Scottish League Cup final – as it happened". The Guardian. 2 December 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  36. ^ "James Wilson makes Aberdeen return after Man United release". BBC Sport. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  37. ^ "Derek McInnes thrilled as James Wilson joins Aberdeen on permanent deal". fourfourtwo.com. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  38. ^ a b c d "Games played by James Wilson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  39. ^ "Salford sign ex-Manchester United forward James Wilson and defender Ash Eastham". BBC Sport. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  40. ^ "Salford 2-3 Plymouth: Bittersweet debut for former Man United man". Salford City News. Newsquest. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  41. ^ a b Williams, Adam (13 March 2021). "Portsmouth 0–0 Salford City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  42. ^ "Salford striker Wilson released by club". BBC Sport. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  43. ^ "Wilson to join Port Vale from Salford". BBC Sport. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  44. ^ Baggaley, Michael (7 June 2021). "Port Vale boss on 'fantastic pedigree' of new signing James Wilson". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  45. ^ Baggaley, Michael (18 September 2021). "James Wilson's Port Vale message after Harrogate win". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  46. ^ Baggaley, Michael (25 October 2021). "James Wilson's verdict on start to season with Port Vale". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  47. ^ "Port Vale 5-1 Accrington Stanley". BBC Sport. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  48. ^ "Former United talent James Wilson finds form with five goals in four games". United In Focus. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  49. ^ Baggaley, Michael (18 November 2021). "Darrell Clarke confirms injury blow for Port Vale's James Wilson". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  50. ^ Baggaley, Michael (19 March 2022). "Andy Crosby highlights James Wilson spell and Port Vale partnership". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  51. ^ Baggaley, Michael (19 May 2022). "Port Vale heading to Wembley after dramatic shoot-out win over Swindon". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  52. ^ a b Aloia, Andrew (28 May 2022). "Vale beat 10-man Mansfield to reach League One". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  53. ^ Baggaley, Michael (28 May 2022). "Port Vale player ratings from Wembley win over Mansfield". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  54. ^ Baggaley, Michael (27 August 2022). "Port Vale boss Clarke gives fitness update on Wilson and Proctor". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  55. ^ Baggaley, Michael (14 October 2022). "Port Vale praise for James Wilson and Ellis Harrison partnership". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  56. ^ "Northern Ireland v England" TheFA.com. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  57. ^ "Estonia v England" TheFA.com. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  58. ^ Marshall, Adam (3 September 2015). "Fellaini and Wilson on target". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  59. ^ Baggaley, Michael (19 March 2022). "Tom Pope talks Wilson, Proctor and Port Vale at Bradford". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  60. ^ "Games played by James Wilson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  61. ^ "Games played by James Wilson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  62. ^ a b "Games played by James Wilson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  63. ^ a b "Games played by James Wilson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  64. ^ "Games played by James Wilson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  65. ^ "Games played by James Wilson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  66. ^ "Games played by James Wilson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  67. ^ James Wilson at Soccerway
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