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After making his Wales debut at the age of 16, beating out Gareth Bale to become the youngest player to ever represent his country at the senior level, expectations were sky high for Harry Wilson. Two years on from that debut, there was even some suggestion over the summer that he could crack the Liverpool first team.
In the end, things didn't quite work out like that. Still, he impressed Brendan Rodgers and the coaching staff enough during the off-season that the club made finding him a home on loan and a chance at first team football a priority. He ended up with League One's Crewe Alexandra at the end of the window, and expectations are high for his likely debut this weekend.
"I've spoken to Harry since he came back from scoring a goal for Wales," said Crewe coach James Collins during a break in their preparations to face Millwall on the weekend. "He's itching to make a difference for us. He's a terrific player with a lot of talent, and if he can add that quality to what we already have it will be a big help."
Wilson spent the international break back with the Wales U21 side, where he scored against Luxembourg to help Wales capture all three points and stay on top of their qualification group for the next U21 European Championships. Now, a season on loan with Crewe awaits, and the chance to show what he can do as a first team regular.
"Clubs may have been reluctant to take him on loan because he looks slight," added Collins. "But actually he's strong and stocky. He has the ability to dodge and avoid trouble. His goals and assists record at Liverpool is excellent, and they wanted to see if he can make that step up to competitive football. I'm sure he will show that he has the ability to."
