Many were surprised by how many players Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal let go of in the summer window.
United allowed Chicharito to leave permanently when, until the last day of the window, there was no obvious cover for Wayne Rooney.
Adnan Januzaj was also a somehwat surprising loanee, especially as RvP and Radamel Falcao had also been released.
With all those departures, most expected a big role for Manchester United youngster James Wilson this season.
But the 19 year old was also reportedly made available for a loan spell and many clubs had expressed an interest.
But reports last week seemed to put an end to speculation about Wilson gaining experience away from Old Trafford, as The Daily Mail wrote:
Manchester United striker James Wilson ‘not available’ for Championship loan move, according to Wolves boss Kenny Jackett
And Wolves manager Kenny Jackett confirmed that Manchester United wanted to keep him:
‘The information is he’s not available. They’re keeping him there for the time being.
‘There’s been a number of clubs who have enquired about him and at one stage they’d been saying perhaps he could go. The timing of it is always something and if he was available would there be some interest from us? There has been in the past, yes.
Even with Anthony Martial now signed we think that Wilson’s stay could turn out to be a blessing for Manchester United.
They are still light up top and with Wayne Rooney seriously struggling for form, Wilson may find his opportunities come sooner than expected.
If any of the front line strikers gets injured Wilson will be seen as the obvious replacement. He’s already played 18 times for United, including 17 appearances and 2 goals last year.
He’s lightning fast and a lovely finisher. His physique needs to develop – he can still appear somewhat gangly compared to other first teamers – but he may end up forming a lasting partnership with Martial.
Rooney will surely find his form and Martial will continue to prosper. But it’s going to be a long season and Wilson may yet prove to be a wonderful surprise package for Manchester United.
United fans: Is Wilson good enough for the first team?
