What happened to James Wilson?

Amassing only a single goal this campaign as a result of two league starts and 10 appearances coming off of the bench, James Wilson – who was once dubbed Manchester United’s future – has disappeared from the limelight, only to reappear at the end of season awards to remind us he still exists!

It is understandable that the 19-year-old is going to fail to be as prolific as he has found himself in Under-21 competitions, after all it’s a different ball game (well not quite literally), but the Red Devils’ physio would certainly suggest he’s had his hands full with the attack force this season and that Wilson should have been utilized in their absence. On paper, the youngster was never going to secure a place ahead of the likes of Radamel Falcao, but the disappointing spells the number nine has endured, along with Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney suggest the man in question could have snuck onto the team sheet.

Perhaps the manager didn’t believe that Wilson was providing the goods for the role in which he plies his trade, but the earlier statistics indicate the forward was not offered the platform to prove his worth. Additionally, the only occasion in which he found the back of the net was in an outing to Loftus Road, therefore, it seamlessly faded from memory as it wasn’t your Manchester City’s or Chelsea’s he bagged against.

We can only hope that Louis van Gaal doesn’t immediately overlook him and move him on permanently but rather a loan move would prove more beneficial. In fact, our academy product should be honoured to be subject of admiring attentions from poised West Brom and Newcastle. Only there would he get a good run in, rather than being used as and when. Without having to drop down a division to do so, Wilson can rediscover why Ryan Giggs took a gamble on him during his period as interim manager.

Was the pressure too much for Staffordshire-born lad? After all, van Gaal most definitely implied he had high hopes for Wilson, handing him the number 49 shirt to boast his qualities. Although, at Danny Welbeck exiting stage left, expectations amounted on him to replace the former as the next upcoming prospect to dictate the frontline for United. In which case, an expected ‘bidding war’ for the England Under-20 international wouldn’t work wonders.

Another theory could be that the strikers attitude was not up to scratch as our head coach has been known this season for generously dishing out second chances – most notably to Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata and Ander Herrera – and perhaps Wilson was not willing to earn his place. This seems unlikely though as his tender years suggest Wilson should be hungry for success, realising his potential.

One thing is for sure, we’d much prefer James Wilson to be centre stage for his form as opposed to hitting back at critics on his girlfriends behalf.