On-loan Wilson Raring To Go

Manchester United forward James Wilson is looking forward to making an impact at Brighton & Hove Albion following the completion of his loan move to Falmer Stadium earlier this week.

The presence of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial has meant that Wilson's involvement with the first-team has been somewhat limited so far this season, with only two appearances to his name, and it was felt that the England-Under-21 international is best served finding regular football elsewhere, for the time being.

"There were a lot of clubs interested, but it was only a one-horse race for me, to be fair, as Brighton are a brilliant club with brilliant facilities," the Academy graduate told journalists at his official unveiling. "United have obviously got to be my main aim but it's great to have the chance to come down here and help Brighton. Hopefully, this can be a stepping stone for me and I can go back to Old Trafford with a lot of experience."

Another United prospect who enjoyed a fruitful spell with the Seagulls was Jesse Lingard, and he encouraged Wilson to make the move himself, while Louis van Gaal was fully supportive of the switch.

"I spoke to Jesse and asked for some advice about what it was like and he said it was a great club with a brilliant set-up and a great bunch of lads," the striker commented.

"The manager [van Gaal] tries to see the players as much as possible, as individuals and as a group. He wants to get the best out of the players and wants to know how to get the best out of us. He does that by meeting as a team and as individuals as well. We agreed before any of the clubs were mentioned, Brighton were the first club he wanted me to come to for experience and he said it’s a good club where you can come and play your football. He thought it was the best move for me, as well as I did."

Wilson now hopes that he can sustain an injury-free run and really make his mark in the Championship.

"I've not had much luck this season and have picked up a few injuries," he continued. "Obviously, I’m still a young player who is still developing so I’m spending hours in the gym to get myself stronger and fitter. I think the move will be a big help where game time is concerned as well as helping my fitness. I also think it will really help me to develop as a player and a person.

"I had a slight knee injury for the last league game [at Watford] but trained for the past week so I’m ready. I’m fit for the game against Birmingham, obviously it’s a good game to come into but any game time for me is a great addition for my development and fitness as well as being good experience for me.

"To be fair, I’ve had no luck really as, when I could play, I had a few little injuries and there is no point taking a risk in me playing when I’ve got an injury. So it was a lack of luck for me rather than being frustrated at not playing. We’ve got Rooney and Martial who are two great forwards so it’s hard to get into the side and, when they were out, I didn’t have much luck with little niggly injuries. It’s one of those things, I suppose."