# James Wilson (footballer, born 1995)
**James Wilson** (James Antony Wilson, born 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a center-forward. He came through the Manchester United academy, scored twice on his first-team debut in May 2014, and went on to play for Brighton & Hove Albion, Derby County, Sheffield United, Aberdeen, Salford City, Port Vale, and Northampton Town, mostly in the [English Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-football-league).[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104) • [2](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/128340/james-wilson)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | James Antony Wilson, born 1995 in Biddulph, Staffordshire, England[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104) • [3](https://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/a-z_player_archive/a-z_player_archive_pages/player_profile_sql.php?dir=desc&sel_surname=wilson_james&sort=date) |
| Position | Centre-forward (also second striker and right winger); left-footed[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104) |
| Signature moment | Two goals on his full Manchester United debut, a 3-1 win over Hull City on 6 May 2014, under interim manager Ryan Giggs[3](https://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/a-z_player_archive/a-z_player_archive_pages/player_profile_sql.php?dir=desc&sel_surname=wilson_james&sort=date) |
| Manchester United league record | 15 Premier League appearances and 3 goals between 2013-14 and 2015-16[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson/career) |
| Most productive club spell | Port Vale, 2021 to 2023-24: 96 League One and League Two appearances, 20 goals, 4 assists[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson) |
| International career | England U21, 1 cap and 1 goal; earlier England youth teams[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104) • [6](https://strettynews.com/2014/11/22/complete-lowdown-striking-sensation-james-wilson/) |
| Status | Without a club since 1 July 2025, after leaving Northampton Town[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104) |
## Manchester United
Wilson joined Manchester United's academy in 2002 and stayed there until 2014.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104) He was first named on the first-team bench on 5 April 2014 in a Premier League game at Newcastle United.[7](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-a-wilson-241976/) A month later, on 6 May 2014, he made his full debut against Hull City and scored twice in a 3-1 home win, with [Ryan Giggs](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-giggs) serving as interim manager for the match.[3](https://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/a-z_player_archive/a-z_player_archive_pages/player_profile_sql.php?dir=desc&sel_surname=wilson_james&sort=date) FBref records the debut as 63 minutes played with 2 goals, a rate of 2.86 goals per 90 in his only 2013-14 league appearance.[8](https://fbref.com/en/players/b0d786ee/James-Wilson)
**Loan spells.** Wilson spent the 2015-16 season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, joining on 27 November 2015 and making 27 Championship appearances with 5 goals.[2](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/128340/james-wilson) • [4](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson/career) He then joined Derby County on loan on 4 September 2016, was recalled by United on 2 February 2017, and went to Sheffield United on loan on 10 January 2018, where he made 8 Championship appearances and scored once.[2](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/128340/james-wilson) • [4](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson/career) Across his three Premier League seasons at United he made 15 league appearances and scored 3 goals, all in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson/career)
## Aberdeen and Salford City
Wilson joined Aberdeen on loan on 13 August 2018 and made his [Scottish Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottish-premiership) debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Hibernian on 25 August 2018, in front of 18,535 spectators.[2](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/128340/james-wilson) • [9](https://www.afcheritage.org/football/players/james-wilson?id=8249) The Aberdeen FC Heritage Trust records that, despite injury and poor form at points in the season, he finished the loan strongly and convinced manager [Derek McInnes](https://www.edgepedia.org/derek-mcinnes) to sign him permanently; with his [Old Trafford](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-trafford) contract ending, he joined Aberdeen on a free transfer on 3 July 2019.[9](https://www.afcheritage.org/football/players/james-wilson?id=8249) • [3](https://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/a-z_player_archive/a-z_player_archive_pages/player_profile_sql.php?dir=desc&sel_surname=wilson_james&sort=date) His Aberdeen totals came to 48 senior appearances and 4 goals.[9](https://www.afcheritage.org/football/players/james-wilson?id=8249)
In January 2020 Aberdeen confirmed his move to English League Two side Salford City on a permanent deal.[10](https://www.afc.co.uk/en/news/wilson-moves-on) He had signed a two-and-a-half-year deal from Aberdeen.[11](https://gtfcheritage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/01-Salford-City.pdf) Across league and cup competitions for Salford he made 29 league appearances with 9 goals between 2019-20 and 2020-21.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson/career)
## Port Vale and Northampton Town
Wilson's most productive spell came at Port Vale, where he played from 2021 to 2023-24 and recorded 96 league appearances, 20 goals, and 4 assists, including 12 League Two goals in 2021-22.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson) • [4](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson/career) He moved to Northampton Town, also of League One, in July 2024.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson) In the 2024-25 League One season he made 9 league appearances without scoring, and his last league appearance came on 26 April 2025 against Crawley Town, a 3-0 defeat in which he played 23 minutes.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson) Transfermarkt lists him as without a club since 1 July 2025.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104)
## International career and playing style
Wilson represented England at youth level and earned 1 cap and 1 goal for the England U21 team.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104) A 2014 profile noted 1 appearance for England U20 and described him as an old-school forward whose main asset was finishing instinct, quoting his under-15s coach Clayton Blackmore: "At 15 he was the best I have seen at finishing."
His market value peaked at 1.8 million euros on 31 December 2014, shortly after his debut season, and stood at 171,100 euros in a 2025 valuation, a decline that tracks his move from the Premier League into the lower English divisions.[12](https://www.fotmob.com/players/532741/james-wilson)
## References
1. [James Wilson, player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.com/james-wilson/profil/spieler/214104)
2. [James Wilson, player profile and transfer history, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/128340/james-wilson)
3. [James Wilson, Manchester United profile and match record, MUFCInfo](https://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/a-z_player_archive/a-z_player_archive_pages/player_profile_sql.php?dir=desc&sel_surname=wilson_james&sort=date)
4. [James Wilson Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson/career)
5. [James Wilson, player overview, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/2381/james-wilson)
6. [The complete lowdown on striking sensation James Wilson, Stretty News (2014)](https://strettynews.com/2014/11/22/complete-lowdown-striking-sensation-james-wilson/)
7. [James A Wilson, player statistics, 11v11](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-a-wilson-241976/)
8. [James Wilson, standard stats, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/b0d786ee/James-Wilson)
9. [James Wilson, AFC Heritage Trust player profile](https://www.afcheritage.org/football/players/james-wilson?id=8249)
10. [Wilson moves on, Aberdeen FC (31 January 2020)](https://www.afc.co.uk/en/news/wilson-moves-on)
11. [Ones to Watch, Salford City FC programme feature, GTFC Heritage](https://gtfcheritage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/01-Salford-City.pdf)
12. [James Wilson, stats and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/players/532741/james-wilson)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 2015–present › Forwards and strikers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license