In 2005, Harry Wilson signed for Liverpool Football Club’s youth team. Over the last 16 years, the Welshman has progressed through the academy and earned numerous loan moves. During his short-term spells away from Merseyside, the 23-year-old has undoubtedly impressed, scoring goals for Bournemouth, Cardiff City, Derby County and Hull City. However, opportunities in Jurgen Klopp’s side have been hard to come by. So, will he ever get a chance to play first-team football for the reigning Premier League champions?
A Succession of Loan Moves
For much of the last few years, Wilson has been touted as a future star. At youth level, he was a prolific goalscorer, and that trend continued throughout his various loans. According to his profile at WorldFootball.net, the 23-year-old scored 28 goals during his 43 appearances in the U23 Premier League Division One. At a rate of at least one goal every other game, Wilson performances from the right flank unsurprisingly caught the eye.
In senior football, Wilson was unable to break into the first-team at Anfield and has since spent three of the last four season playing in the Championship. During this time, the Welshman has established himself as a prolific goalscoring winger. At the time of writing, Transfermarkt state that 23-year-old has found the net on 25 occasions in 69 appearances. Additionally, he’s also provided 12 assists.
Currently, the Welsh international is playing for Neil Harris’ Cardiff. Since joining on a season-long loan deal, he has been imperative in the Bluebirds’ 2020-21 campaign. Despite trailing 2-1 to Birmingham City back in December, Cardiff overturned the deficit to secure a 3-2 victory thanks to two assists and one goal from the Liverpool loanee. At present, Harris’ side aren’t out of the race for a play-off spot, and, as of January 13th, are 6/1 in the Championship betting to finish in the top six come the end of the ongoing season.
Competition for Places on Merseyside
Despite his impressive loan contributions over the last five years, it appears unlikely that Wilson will ever get consistent playing time at Anfield. Unfortunately for him, Mohamed Salah, a two-time Golden Boot winner, currently occupies the right-wing spot in the Reds’ team. Furthermore, following the summer arrival of Diogo Jota from Wolves, competition for places is arguably fiercer than ever before.
However, it isn’t necessarily the above names that will deny Wilson getting first-team minutes. Instead, Harvey Elliott is rivalling him for the back-up role. The former Fulham academy prospect also secured a Championship loan during the summer transfer window, joining Blackburn Rovers. At the time of writing, Elliott has enjoyed a more impressive campaign than Wilson, despite being six years younger than the Welshman.
Timing Has Hindered Wilson
Ultimately, Wilson’s talent can’t be questioned. For a winger, his ability to create and score clear-cut opportunities is magnificent. However, he looks sandwiched in the crossover period between Salah’s later years and Elliott’s rise. In any other era, he may have stood a chance of regular minutes, although that now looks unlikely in the present day.