James Wilson
James Wilson Getty

After Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Adnan Januzaj, reports suggest James Wilson could be the next stellar talent to emerge from the Manchester United youth system.

United boss David Moyes gave the young striker a taste of the first team by naming him on the bench against Newcastle, and just two days later he burnished his burgeoning reputation with a superb 25-yard-strike in the U21 league against Aston Villa.

Wilson opened the scoring by picking the ball up and smashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner with his left foot, the latest in a series of spectacular strikes.

Former United defender Clayton Blackmore has tipped Wilson for the top, telling the club's official website. "James is top level. I coached him with the U15s and he was frightening. In every session, he scored top-drawer goals. For me, it is only a matter of time before he breaks into the first team.

"He is very direct when he gets on the ball and with what he does around about the box with his shooting. At 15, he was the best I have seen at finishing. I have watched a lot of games and it's sometimes hard to get him in on goal because he is often playing up front on his own and is marked by two centre-backs."

United scouted Wilson at the age of seven and since then the only thing he has done is improve. Strongly likened to Giggs in his younger days, the starlet scored on his U18s debut at the age of just 15 as well as on his U19 bow.

The 18-year-old has represented England schoolboys at every level and has gone on to make a name for himself across the country. Many fans believe he is the best striker to come out of the club for some time, given his speed, agility and lethal left foot.

Wilson can look to the example set by Adnan Januzaj who made the seamless transition from the U21 ranks to the first team this season, while United rising star Will Keane was championed for a first-team place prior to his injury.