Harris can’t believe Harry’s a Bluebird after making his bow in victory over Preston

NEIL Harris admits he cannot believe Cardiff City have managed to pull off the capture of Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson – but says the excitement around his move to the capital will count for nothing without results.

Wilson came off the bench to make his Bluebirds debut after just half an hour into the win over Preston North End, following a hamstring strain to full-back Greg Cunningham.

The 23-year old produced a solid showing on his first outing as a Cardiff player, but those who know him best will know there’s plenty more to come.

The Wales international was playing Premier League football with Bournemouth last season, netting nine goals for the Cherries as they failed in their battle against relegation.

Burnley appeared to be closing in on keeping the winger in the top flight after launching a bid believed to be worth around £15m, only to see it batted away by Liverpool.

With no other top-flight clubs making a move, the Reds were forced to open the door to a move to the Championship, although Harris admits he can’t quite believe City managed to pull the move off.

“I could not believe it,” he said. “I could not believe we had a chance of bringing him in, if I’m honest. That’s not putting pressure on him, but I just think he’s a Premier League player. I really do. He’s a Premier League player and an international footballer.

“That’s not just my opinion, it’s going off his record.

“We never thought he’d be available. It became a real last-minute one. A real scramble between us and about 10 other clubs to try to get him.

“I’ll never take a player that hasn’t got a real desire to play for this club for whatever reason. Harry wants to play in the Premier League and he wants to play for Ryan Giggs in every international break. A Premier League move didn’t materialise.

“So right at the last minute, he became available to the Championship. There’s been a lot made about how much the deal is – it’s a load of rubbish. An absolute load of rubbish.

“Harry Wilson is here because he thinks this is the best avenue for getting promoted, and he knows he captures the imagination of the Welsh fanbase, and it catches the eye of Ryan Giggs and his staff.

“He is a very talented footballer, who has performed the last two seasons with great ability to score goals and assists.”

Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman recently admitted that he would be ‘ disappointed’ if City’s new-look frontline didn’t push them into the top six by the new year, and Harris admits that having such an array of attacking talent on board brings about a level of pressure to pull off results.

“The pressure’s not on Harry Wilson’s shoulders, it’s on the group to perform,” he said.

“When we get Lee Tomlin available and on the pitch regularly and Josh Murphy up to speed and Gavin Whyte, who wasn’t with the group today, we’ve got exciting options. You saw Sheyi Ojo and Junior Hoilett do very, very well in those wide areas, and we’ve got two quality number nines.

“We’re going in the right direction, and we feel the squad’s taking the right shape.

“On paper it looks like great business. But we have to make sure it is great business. We have to get results on the pitch with the performances.

“It’s going to take time for players to fit in with us and they’re going to have to be patient. The experienced players are going to have to help them. It’s not ideal when you have seven games in 19 days because they have to learn fast.

“We have to make sure they settle in quickly. But the business we’ve done, I’m really delighted with.”