BETFRED CUP SPECIAL
Gary Keown SPORTS COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR
All the latest ahead of today’s crucial Hampden showdown
THE withering words of a former coach continue to hang round his neck like a dead weight. The £30,000a-week contract awarded when he was just 19 — and still filling his bank account despite scant return since — simply hardens the assumption he is little more than another example of England’s damaging culture of handing footballers far too much far too young.
James Wilson, such is the unsparing nature of his profession, is down as a bit of a waster, one you can’t be sure will put in a shift.
Of all the players in the shake-up at Hampden for today’s Betfred Cup final, there is a compelling argument that the striker on loan at Aberdeen from Manchester United is the one with most at stake.
Time is running out for Wilson to dispel those oft-repeated accusations from his former United reserve boss Warren Joyce that he simply gave up on working hard when he had made it into the first-team squad in favour of ‘sitting in jacuzzis’ and living the life of a pop star.
His lucrative four-year deal at Old Trafford expires in the summer. He has no future there. It is hard to know right now whether he has a future anywhere of note.
If ever there was a day for him to show he is not merely a once-promising player who has lost his appetite and his way, it’s this afternoon — a day after a 23rd birthday which will surely have offered reminders that his career, most definitely at a crossroads, is in danger of falling off a cliff.
It has been interesting to see Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes make a point of defending Wilson’s work rate and attitude in the build-up to the final.
After being battered by Motherwell in last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final, McInnes admitted his recruitment had not been good enough.
Lewis Ferguson was an excellent signing, one who should deliver vast profits in time, while Mikey Devlin has stepped up well.
Other than that, though, it’s all been a bit underwhelming. The side lacks creativity in midfield. Up front, problems are clear.
Sam Cosgrove is still there, but he doesn’t score goals. Stevie May, a shadow of his St Johnstone self, never gives the impression he has the killer instinct all good forwards need.
It’s why so much faith was placed in Wilson rediscovering his mojo. Why McInnes worked hard to line him up at the end of last term when permanent targets proved too problematic to secure. The big question is whether he has the required hunger.
Those who watch Aberdeen regularly speak of a player who has clear technical ability — but simply doesn’t show it enough.
His two goals so far for the Dons — a smart finish from a Niall McGinn pass against Motherwell and a howitzer against Hamilton Accies — offered tantalising glimpses of what exists within that cultured left foot.
Yet, he has managed the full 90 minutes only once in 10 outings. There is talk of him disappearing in games. He was hooked at half-time during last weekend’s defeat at Motherwell. He has had injury issues.
It is where his story becomes a little more complex. Yes, it is hard to imagine there is not truth in Joyce’s criticisms, but it cannot be overlooked that Wilson damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in a training-ground accident on loan at Derby County in October 2016 that proved difficult to return from.
Many of those who watch him at Pittodrie talk of a lack of mobility, of what might well be a shortage of confidence in his own body.
Wilson talked about Aberdeen as a useful ‘stepping stone to where I want to be’ when he first arrived and there is little question his pedigree suggests he should be ripping it up against technically inferior players.
However, it is tough here. You need to be physically and mentally committed. You must fight for what you get every week. A lower level than you are accustomed to or not, you still have to want it. Badly.
Against Celtic, those issues are magnified. To have any chance today, Aberdeen — to a man — will have to work their socks off. They will require the same levels of concentration and intensity shown in that exhilarating 2017 Scottish Cup final against Celtic when Tom Rogic capitalised on their dwindling energy reserves in stoppage-time. They need Wilson to show he can be their talisman.
It is the kind of occasion he should be relishing, an invitation to rekindle memories of the day Old Trafford sung his name when Ryan Giggs gave him his first senior start as an 18-year-old and saw him score twice in a win over Hull City.
A chance to show why Louis van Gaal gave him that long-term contract, put him in his United team and described him as the natural successor to Anthony Martial.
One thing worth pointing out is that those who deal with Wilson at Aberdeen make no mention of any sort of Billy Big-Time persona.
They speak of a friendly, maybe even reflective, man. Certainly, he has plenty to reflect upon.
It is impossible to look upon someone who has earned £6million over four years as a victim.
But life in the brutal, competitive arena of the modern game has shown Wilson much — from riches and adulation at an age where you cannot possibly have the tools to cope with injury, isolation, criticism and, now, the cold wind of being discarded by the club that raised him.
Life at the top level leaves wounds. Wilson, at this moment, doesn’t look capable of overcoming his.
But there is this one remaining chance to discover if anything of the dazzling teenager, rated one of the brightest of his generation, continues to exist inside.
This feels like a defining moment for the player. It could help him heal or hurt him badly. And it must all be played out in the public glare. As always.