Training Talk: James Wilson

ManUtd.com recently sat down with promising striker James Wilson to learn more about training at Manchester United and his experiences this season...

Going to work every day and training with Falcao, Rooney and van Persie sounds like a dream for every United fan – how do you find it?
Going into training with them is obviously a great experience but on the other hand, it’s a big competition if I’m going to be breaking through into the first team. It’s tough because they’re all renowned for scoring goals at such a high level.

How long have you been training with the first team?
It’s been a few months. I was brought in after the Manchester City game in March, but I was injured then for a few weeks after that.

How much do you enjoy the training?
It’s great to play with the players. The intensity is at a higher level but you get plenty of rest in between so you can keep repeating the sessions over and over. It’s good. You have to think a lot more quickly than normally but in the end you get to that level and the thinking just comes naturally.

Is that the main difference you notice when you step up then – a difference in the mental intensity rather than the physical?
I would say so yes because there’s always someone coming at you or doing something so you always have to be aware of your surroundings, maybe a bit more than you have to in the reserves or the Under-18s. You certainly have to have your wits about you if you’re going to train with them on a regular basis.

Do you personally have training sessions where everything goes right, and sessions where you can’t seem to do anything right?
Yes, I’d like to think more things go right than go wrong in training sessions! But yes, I’ve had days when nothing’s gone for me in training. And it even happens in games as well when there’s a lucky deflection which takes it away from goal. Other than that, it’s just a matter of concentration really to make it happen for yourself.

Do you see things in training that impress you, like a great piece of skill or a great goal?
Mostly it’s goals because that relates to me. Skills are a big part of the game as well but really it’s about goals and if I see a good one in training, I’ll think ‘Wow!’

Who is most likely to score a picture-book goal in training?
It would probably be Wayne, with a volley or something. The ball will drop out to him and he’ll just go for it when nobody else would think to do it and it’ll fly into the top corner.

Wayne, Robin and Radamel are all quite different, so would you learn different things from each of them?
Yes, I would say so. Wayne is the captain so he’s very verbal and you can go to him for advice. You can learn things from Robin and Radamel that you probably could also learn from Wayne but it’s mostly within a game. So if you do something that isn’t particularly correct in a game, they’ll tell you what you could have done instead and next time you can learn from your mistakes.

Can you learn things from them just by watching them, like their movement?
Yes, the movement is very important in the game as a striker because you have to get away from the defender. You can watch them in the games and in training every day so you can just learn from them and then do what they do when you find yourself in the same situation.

What would you say is a particular strength of Robin’s game?
His movement is definitely one of them and the way he can change direction quickly. He can go towards the ball and then run in behind quite sharply so he can get away from the defender. Then he’s got the natural instinct to finish anyway.

What are Wayne’s best attributes?
He can score from anywhere, outside the box or inside the box. He can score with free-kicks, penalties, volleys, headers… all sorts.

And what has the new boy Radamel brought to the club?
Mostly I would say that from crosses he’s always in the right position. For his first goal for the club, against Everton, Di Maria’s had the shot and he’s there straightaway, expecting the ball to come across to him. I also saw him playing for Atletico Madrid as well and some of the goals he scored there were fantastic. He can score any type of goal as well.