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2015-16 Performances


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Brightonian

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What is it that makes a lot of United fans believe this kid has a bright future here? I don't follow the youth team and I'm sure he's looked very promising there but so have a shitload of other players before him who turned to nothing. Besides being quick, he's shown absolutely nothing at senior level so far. Looks extremely ordinary for me and people who say he's on the same level as Martial in terms of potential - I sure hope not because then those 36 million look even more crazy.

Obviously I hope I'm wrong but I really don't see what has gotten people so excited.
It's really hard to explain if you haven't watched him. You can tick off his qualities, which on paper are pretty much a full set for a striker like him: he's fast, has great balance and good strength; he's a lethal finisher, both in terms of being able to score all sorts of goals (long-range rockets, deft headers, flicks in the box, clinical ten-yarners etc) and having that knack of being composed and clinical when chances fall to him; he loves to make runs in behind and has excellent timing on the shoulder; he's also good with the ball, has scored a handful of stunning dribbling goals and throughout his youth career has always been involved in the build-up play alongside teammates like Januzaj, Pereira, Daehli etc; he's a hard-worker, and likes to defend from the front; his decision making is mature and reliable, which in combination with his pace is what makes him such a good counter-attacker; he's actually got good passing range, although obviously you don't really want him involved early enough in the move to have to show it. But see his near-assist for the England U21s vs the USA recently as an example of his eye for a defence-splitting pass.

He's also just got that x-factor, which you develop an eye for if you watch a lot of youth football. For me, the likes of Welbeck, Macheda et al never had it - they were special players in the reserves, and certainly had their moments as senior players (I'm still a massive Welbeck fan tbh), but I would never have put a load of money on either making it with us. For what it's worth, I think Pereira's a superb footballer but I don't see it in him either, he still doesn't seize matches despite his absurd technical ability. The only three PL youth players I've really seen it in since a young Wayne Rooney are Wilshere, Pogba and Januzaj.

But as you say, lots of fans of youth football claim to see 'that x-factor' in lots of young footballers, so it's hard to take someone else's word on that. What really sets Wilson particularly apart for me is the sheer relentlessness with which he has scored goals at every single level. Trust me, even the good strikers just don't do it that much in the English youth leagues. It's hard for either teams or players to be consistently prolific because of the stop-start, chop-and-change nature of the football, and because of the regrettably low-intensity matches that you sometimes (not always, but sometimes) see at those levels.

But from U16 level onwards, in terms of goalscoring Wilson has just looked like a senior player amongst kids. In periods where we've been the best around and thrashed plenty of opponents, he's had several 4- and 5- goal games. In periods where we haven't looked that handy, he's still popped up with a goal a game, and a handful of hatricks. He's particularly notable for scoring in the really big ones, and when it really matters. He scored all four goals against City in a crucial 4-0 win two seasons ago - a game where we weren't really even the better team, believe it or not - and then scored the key opening goal in the same fixture this season to effectively guarantee us the title.

Before we bought him the only full matches I'd seen from Martial were the Juve and Arsenal games. Since, I've obviously watched a daft amount of highlights footage. He's gifted, but in a load of videos which are designed to show his very best moments, I've seen nothing which I wouldn't not only feel Wilson to be capable of, but expect Wilson to produce as a matter of course.

And let's not act as if he's really been given opportunities with the first team yet. Giggs gave him game time and he scored a brace in his debut. Since then it's been a handful of sub appearances for a team that was all over the place last season, whilst Falcao got game after game after game despite showing no sign of being able to score goals.

In this team, with a very solid-looking defence, an embarrassment of midfield (both DM and AM) riches and an obvious strategic foundation to build on -a team that has every ingredient, really, except a fast, direct, running striker to score the goals - Wilson would score at the very least a goal every two games if he was playing regularly. More than that if he was first choice. You can scoff, but I'm the one who's actually watched him. This is a special, special young striker.
 

Šjor Bepo

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I can understand people who are writing him off because he really looks very poor at senior level and if you only watched him there he looks very average. He obviously isnt ready for the step up, the biggest and the only problem for me is that he struggles on the physical side of the game, defenders are pushing him like some random kid from the street and his confidence after that is very low so he struggles to show his other qualities, and there are plenty of them.
He isnt weak, he just doesnt know how to use his body and his strength. When and if he learns that we will have a top striker in our hands im certain. The lad has everything. Fantastic dribbling ability, balance, touch, movement and finishing skills. In his best season at U21 two years ago he was playing in the team that was creating even less chances then our first team is today but he was scoring for fun and he was scoring all sorts of goals.
He lost his mojo in the meantime so loan to the top side in the championship would be the best. He would get the chance to play for the dominant team, would gain match fitness and experience and hopefully he would starting to look like the old self. Much better then the loan to the struggling EPL side. Of course with out striker situation the recall option is a must.

PS: Rossi :( What a player he was, the best youth player i watched after Ravel. Pure class, shame about the injuries.....
 

jb8521

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Slightly surprised by that. You rate him higher than Rossi when he was in our academy and reserves? Rossi is the best youngster I have seen

The other thing is that we hadn't really been producing any strikers till Welbeck. ( maybe Rossi before that).
I rated Rossi extremely highly as well but yeah I do rate Wilson higher purely based on their under age performances because I think the general level of underage football has improved a lot in the past 10 years and that Wilson is doing it against better players and I think if Wilson develops physically he can be an all round forward but that's just my opinion and I can see reasons why many would rate Rossi higher.
 

SteveW

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I can understand people who are writing him off because he really looks very poor at senior level and if you only watched him there he looks very average. He obviously isnt ready for the step up, the biggest and the only problem for me is that he struggles on the physical side of the game, defenders are pushing him like some random kid from the street and his confidence after that is very low so he struggles to show his other qualities, and there are plenty of them.
He isnt weak, he just doesnt know how to use his body and his strength. When and if he learns that we will have a top striker in our hands im certain. The lad has everything. Fantastic dribbling ability, balance, touch, movement and finishing skills. In his best season at U21 two years ago he was playing in the team that was creating even less chances then our first team is today but he was scoring for fun and he was scoring all sorts of goals.
He lost his mojo in the meantime so loan to the top side in the championship would be the best. He would get the chance to play for the dominant team, would gain match fitness and experience and hopefully he would starting to look like the old self. Much better then the loan to the struggling EPL side. Of course with out striker situation the recall option is a must.

PS: Rossi :( What a player he was, the best youth player i watched after Ravel. Pure class, shame about the injuries.....
The two youth players who I was 100% certain would be great players at United. And by far the two most entertaining youth players I've seen at United. Ravel could have been anything he wanted to be but is throwing it away. Rossi has just been incredibly unlucky with injuries. Both would be stars here if things had just gone slightly differently.
 

Brightonian

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I can understand people who are writing him off because he really looks very poor at senior level and if you only watched him there he looks very average.
Does he?


The lad started two league games last season. He also started in two reserve-heavy FA Cup ties. The rest of his handful of appearances were off the bench for ten or fifteen minutes at the end.

You wouldn't even expect an established quality senior player to do anything with that sort of game time. Based on such limited chances, I'd say it's actually impressive that he's shown what he has. Obviously there is infinitely more to come when he gets an actual opportunity.
 

SteveW

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Wilson has more to his game than just pace.
Of course. But from an entertainment standpoint his pace is what makes him exciting, hence my point. Rossi was a very complete footballer at that age. He was extremely creative as well as being a goal machine.

On a more general note regarding Wilson, he has many good qualities but he is still very much a work in progress. He needs to learn to protect the ball better, get involved in all parts of the game etc. He's almost a victim of being too fast and too good at youth level that he hasn't had to develop a fully rounded game yet. He's just been able to blow people away with pace and finishing.

IMO he badly needs a loan to give him time to work on the other aspects of his game. It might take two full seasons until he's ready to do it for United. However I think it could be worth the wait because his pace, finishing and poachers instinct are seriously impressive. He could be really special.
 

SteveW

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Does he?


The lad started two league games last season. He also started in two reserve-heavy FA Cup ties. The rest of his handful of appearances were off the bench for ten or fifteen minutes at the end.

You wouldn't even expect an established quality senior player to do anything with that sort of game time. Based on such limited chances, I'd say it's actually impressive that he's shown what he has. Obviously there is infinitely more to come when he gets an actual opportunity.
I'm a huge fan of Wilson but yes he has looked pretty average at first team level. He's been anonymous in most of the games he's played. I can see why those who are not familiar with him haven't been overly impressed.

That's not to say he won't be a brilliant player because his talent is amazing. He just needs a bit more time and experience before he will be ready for United. A season on loan playing every week would be ideal for his development.
 

Šjor Bepo

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Does he?
The lad started two league games last season. He also started in two reserve-heavy FA Cup ties. The rest of his handful of appearances were off the bench for ten or fifteen minutes at the end.

You wouldn't even expect an established quality senior player to do anything with that sort of game time. Based on such limited chances, I'd say it's actually impressive that he's shown what he has. Obviously there is infinitely more to come when he gets an actual opportunity.
yes he does, i love him and rate him very highly but he doesnt look special(and he is) yet at senior level. The debut was good and cameo against QPR was good but other then that he looked very average. I dont expect that he score goals on regular basis as a sub or something but he was pushed around like a kid 90% of his time on the pitch, his touch was okay, he rarely dribbled and he wasnt able to get himself into the game. The movement was poor and to be fair to him the teammates didnt really want to pass him the ball most of the time.
 

surf

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Am in the should-go-on-loan camp. He needs it to improve. If we need a 19 year old striker to deputise for Rooney, then Martial is the better bet this season.
 

dave2528

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I don't think that anyone is arguing that Wilson's fully developed or even 100% ready for a place in the 1st team week in and week out because of merit. Under the circumstances though, he surely can't be any worse of a selection than using Fellaini up front.
.
 

mav_9me

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He's more exciting player to watch than Rossi.
Agree with the others. I like Wilson a lot too but Rossi was magic.

His touch and technique were beautiful. He had decent pace and his finishing was very very good. His career has been hampered by injuries but imo he was the best youngster at our club. I rate him higher than Ravel. Ravel is probably the most naturally gifted player to come thru our ranks but Rossi did so much more on the pitch.
 

Americano

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I don't know if there would be a better time to give him a look.
That's exactly what I came here to post. We can argue about his qualities & talent, but right now there is a golden opportunity to give him minutes and see what he's capable of. Like Pogba, again we choose cover from an out of position senior player instead of letting a reserve/youth player on the verge of first team minutes have a shot. If not against Liverpool, at least a few starts in the upcoming run of fixtures.
 

khoazany

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Agree with the others. I like Wilson a lot too but Rossi was magic.

His touch and technique were beautiful. He had decent pace and his finishing was very very good. His career has been hampered by injuries but imo he was the best youngster at our club. I rate him higher than Ravel. Ravel is probably the most naturally gifted player to come thru our ranks but Rossi did so much more on the pitch.
Rossi never be able to score these goals whereby he just ran through everyone from the middle of the pitch like Wilson did.Hence my opinion.
 

Dante

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He's going to be huge when he's older. Just looking at his frame, it's obvious that there's much to come for him physically. But at the moment he gets bullied out of games far too easily. Most of his recent performances have gone the same way. I don't expect him to make a mark until he fills out, which could still be a couple of years from now. I hope he's taking this break from action to try and bulk himself up.
 

mattsville

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Wilson is an incredible player, he will be a star for us if managed correctly, everyone at the club knows that, he is a proper Manchester United player.
 

Obiorahking_

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Needs a loan for this season. Unless we are reverting back to 442, then there is not much need for him. He needs to go to a decent championship club where he will be the first name on the team sheet.
 

fatboy

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He's got all the tools to make it, but seems to have struggled under LvG's system (similar to Januzaj). I still hope he can makes it though. It's a real dilemma for him now, his age is almost identical to Martial, and similar qualities too, just that Martial is that bit advanced in his development. Rather than sending him out on loan, maybe we should quit the Fellaini experiment, push Martial to 2nd choice, and give the remaining playing time to Wilson. He can't do worse than Fellaini, can he?
 

7even

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Martial to United was probably the best thing that could have happen to Wilson.

It forced LvG to make a decision about his future. The idea to send him on loan to a Championship club was a sensible decision but then Rooney got injuried, Fellaini didn't exactly impresse in his new role and suddenly there was a place for him in the squad.

Further on I think both these two young talents can benefit from each other. They both have plenty of pace and are accurate and distinct in front of goal.

IMO Wilson needs to mature a little bit more, both physically and mentally. And like any young talent he needs to play regularly and have a little bit of luck.
 

Striker10

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Wilson can also play as a wide forward so he could come in handy. He just needs to work on his strength and then do what comes naturally. The goal Martial scored is what Wilson can do and so the futures very positive. We just need to remember how young he is. What will help him I think is we've quite a young squad, so he'll be getting plenty of support.

I think the dynamic still have to be right though. We can't expect forwards to make runs and ignore them. So Wilson, Martial - all rely on the team playing at a good tempo and looking to get the ball forward
 

11101

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He needs a loan. He needs to learn to impose himself in a good adult league. He wont do that in the youth teams and based on last season he is still too weak/timid to do it in the Premier League. With Martial's arrival he wont get enough chances anyway.
 

Brightonian

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He is in the squad for the PSV game.
So pleased. With Rooney out, Wilson and Martial are without question the only two players who should be options up front against PSV. And in the circumstances neither should have to play a full 90 minutes in a game like this just yet, so it makes perfect sense to have Wilson on the bench and Martial starting.

I'll be so pissed if we end up starting Depay or, god forbid, Young up front. If it's Fellaini again I might just lose all faith in LVG.
 

FromTheBench

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mav_9me

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I want to see a front 3 of Memphis Martial Wilson. Might be just the alcohol in me though.
 

suheilsworld

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I would love it with LVG trust him the way Pochetino did with Kane. It's quite simple, the more games he play, the more he will learn. Memphis, Martial and Wilson would be fast and deadly. This could be tried in the upcoming league cup game.

Plus LVG should start trusting him over Fellaini.
 

Galactic

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I want to see a front 3 of Memphis Martial Wilson. Might be just the alcohol in me though.
Too inexperienced. Unless we play mata, herrera and schweiny behind them.

Memphis....Martial....Wilson
.............Mata......Herrera.......
................Schweiny................
...............Back Four................

Bit unbalanced but will definitely be exciting to see in my opinion.
 

podurban2

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Too inexperienced. Unless we play mata, herrera and schweiny behind them.

Memphis....Martial....Wilson
.............Mata......Herrera.......
................Schweiny................
...............Back Four................

Bit unbalanced but will definitely be exciting to see in my opinion.
I'd want to see this!
 

DWelbz19

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The side that played against MK Dons is almost all gone. Most of that team was senior players on the periphery and some youth players filling roles. A front four of our most exciting youth prospects behind a strong midfield basis and defence will be fine.

Coincidentally, Andreas and Wilson were the two subbed on who actually did rather well for themselves that match.
 
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