Former Manchester United academy star James Wilson sends message to club's youngsters

Former Manchester United star James Wilson has named his one regret after leaving the club.

Wilson came through United's academy and scored two goals on his full debut against Hull back in May 2014. It was a sensational debut from Wilson and he was immediately viewed as the heir to Robin van Persie in attack at Old Trafford.

However, Wilson's career at United failed to take off and he left the club on various loan spells in search of regular minutes. Wilson eventually left United on a permanent transfer to Aberdeen in 2019 with a total of four goals in 20 appearances for the Reds.

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Wilson has since played for Class of '92 owned Salford in League Two but he made a move to Port Vale in the summer. Port Vale have made the League Two play-offs this season and Wilson's goals have been crucial in getting them into that position.

The forward has scored 12 goals for his club this season and he's now reflected on his years spent at United. Wilson has admitted that he wished he had enjoyed his football more when at Old Trafford, which is valuable advice for the club's current crop of youngsters.

"I’ve had lows and dark times, but they can be outweighed by highs of experiences and people you meet," Wilson told the Daily Mail.

"I got scouted when I was seven playing for a local team in Stoke and ended up at United’s academy from then until my early 20s. Because I broke through at such an early age, I was naive to it. I didn’t see the effects of the pressure of so many fans there.

"If people want to say I am a failure, they can have that opinion, but all that I can say is that I am working so hard week in, week out to try to