Harry Wilson: The Liverpool Academy Winger Poised for a Resurgent 2016-17

The life of a young footballer in the English top flight is unpredictable, as has been underlined so emphatically this summer by Manchester United's £100 million pursuit of former academy product Paul Pogba, who left to join Juventus in 2012 after failing to agree terms on a contract at Old Trafford.

As reported by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Pogba is set to become the world's most expensive footballer this month, just four years after leaving United on a free transfer.

It is this snap-judgement culture within Premier League academies that can make or break a young player's career in a matter of months—and this was shown by the surprise departure of Jordan Rossiter from Liverpool this summer, with a player compared to Steven Gerrard by Robbie Fowler leaving for a pittance.

Rossiter joined Rangers on a long-term contract, with Liverpool receiving just £250,000 in compensation for their role in his development, highlighting the pitfalls of life as a youngster in the English youth system.

Academy Players to Leave Liverpool, Summer 2016

• Jordan Rossiter → Rangers
• Jerome Sinclair → Watford
• Joao Carlos Teixeira → FC Porto
• Sergi Canos → Norwich City
• Jordon Ibe → Bournemouth
• Lawrence Vigoroux → Swindon Town
• Brad Smith → Bournemouth
• Daniel Trickett-Smith → Sacramento Republic
• Daniel Cleary → Birmingham City
• Samed Yesil, Ryan McLaughlin, Alex O'Hanlon, Will Marsh, Kristof Polgar → Released

One of Rossiter's former Reds youth colleagues, Harry Wilson, looked set to follow him through the Anfield exit this summer, with his prospects dwindling following a miserable 2015/16 campaign—watching the likes of Sheyi Ojo move ahead of him in Jurgen Klopp's first-team plans.

But heading into the new season, Wilson has reached an encouraging plateau, and the young Wales international is poised for a remarkable resurgence in 2016/17.

Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images

Born in Wrexham, Wilson joined Liverpool in 2005 at the age of eight and swiftly progressed through the ranks in the Reds' academy.

After breaking into the under-18s in 2012/13, Wilson became a regular fixture of Neil Critchley's side in 2013/14, showcasing his talents alongside the likes of Ojo and Rossiter as Liverpool's new breed, providing a positive veneer to the first team's sensational title challenge under Brendan Rodgers.

Speaking to The Redmen TV ahead of that campaign, Academy figureheads Rodolfo Borrell, Frank McParland and Alex Inglethorpe stressed the need to develop the club's young British players, like Wilson, as the core of their squad:

Soon after, Wilson caught national attention when he was handed his first appearance for the Wales senior side in a 1-1 draw with Belgium, in a move manager Chris Coleman suggested would "[cement] his future with Wales for the next 10 or 15 years."

Naturally, a then-16-year-old Wilson becoming Wales' youngest player provoked contrasting reactions, with senior stalwart Craig Bellamy telling reporters that he thought the winger was too young for the exposure:

"

I think Harry’s a talent. I think he’s going to do well in the years to come. But I’d like to see him do well first [before being capped].

I don’t mean that in a bad way, but 16 years old is young, it’s really young.

He can’t play for anyone else now but is that really the most important thing? I’ve known him for some time and I’ve seen his progress. He’s great.

"

Furthermore, Rodgers explained how Wilson was "not near [playing in] the Premier League," expressing his surprise at Coleman's decision.

Nevertheless, Coleman's recognition highlighted Wilson as an exceptional young talent and, as reported by the Mirror, won his grandfather £125,000 on a £50 bet placed when he was just 18 months old—defying odds of 2,500/1.

Wilson signed his first professional contract with the Reds in 2014, going on to star in the Liverpool under-21s' 2014/15 campaign which, as reported by the Liverpool Echo's Andy Kelly, led him to be nominated for the Under-21 Player of the Year award.

The highlight of his season came in scoring an exceptional, long-range winner in the closing stages of the under-21s' 2-1 win over city rivals Everton, underlining his enduring ability as a match-winner.

WyScout

This presented a stark contrast with Wilson's fortunes in 2015/16, however, as he dropped down the ranks under Liverpool under-21s coach Michael Beale through a series of frustrating circumstances.

At 18, Wilson joined Crewe Alexandra on a half-season loan deal, designed to provide him with vital experience ahead of a transition into Liverpool's first-team setup.

Speaking to the Crewe Chronicle's Peter Morse, Wilson emphasised this as a key factor behind agreeing to join the League One side:

"

Getting that experience of first-team football, playing in front of crowds is what I’m looking forward to most.

It’s a very tough and competitive division but that’s what I’m looking forward to, playing against some big teams and then hopefully we can go out and show our quality.

I think it will help me a lot coming up against bigger and better players. It will help my development and make me learn the game a lot more.

We were all in agreement that it was the best move at this stage of my development.

"

But despite these positive words of commitment, Wilson's allegiances lay firmly with the Wales under-21s, and as manager Steve Davis explained to the Stoke Sentinel's Rich Sharpe two months into the winger's spell with Crewe, this hampered his progress at Gresty Road.

"He would have played against Wigan had he not been away, and he was in with a chance of playing at Barnsley too, but again he was away," he said.

On the international stage, he was still on form, scoring late in a 2-1 win over Armenia in Wales' European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign, taking to Twitter to express his delight shortly after:

But Wilson made seven appearances for Davis' side in the first half of 2015/16, including just three starts and totalling a meagre 259 minutes on the field, before he was recalled to Merseyside in December.

Returning to Beale's under-21s squad, Wilson fared little better, suffering a broken toe in February that saw him ruled out for the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign.

Meanwhile, Ojo was establishing himself as a regular fixture under Klopp, going on to make 11 appearances for the Liverpool first team in 2016. 

Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Comparing Wilson and Ojo is a sensible yardstick: both are 19, born three months apart; both operate primarily on the wing; both have shone for the Reds' youth sides for a number of years; and both are facing pivotal campaigns in 2016/17.

But while Ojo is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his former MK Dons team-mate Dele Alli and "break into the first team on a full-time basis" this season, as he told FourFourTwo, Wilson's ambitions may be lowered.

Despite this, the young Welshman was handed an olive branch towards the end of July when he signed a new long-term contract with the Reds, telling his 29,800 Twitter followers that "the hard work continues":

Wilson's new contract comes in the middle of a summer that has seen him reaffirm his potential to supporters, starring in a series of impressive pre-season clashes for the new-look Liverpool under-23s—including goals against Rhyl FC and MK Dons.

Able to play in a number of positions along the forward line, Wilson is a slight but technically gifted midfielder who is able to both dictate play behind a fluid attacking unit or spearhead advances alone, fuelled by his powerful shooting ability from range and a canny set-piece prowess.

With the introduction of the revamped Premier League 2 setup this season, which will see under-23s sides face off in regular competitive fixtures, with coaches able to field three overage outfield players and a goalkeeper, Wilson can be provided with the perfect test in 2016/17.

With Beale telling the Liverpool Echo's Kelly that his side is likely to boast an "average age of 19," Wilson will be at the top end of that spectrum, heaping on the demand to perform alongside his youthful colleagues against sides that could include established senior talent.

As the rise of Ojo under Klopp in 2016 has proved, performing to a high standard at such a level presents an opportunity to transfer young talent into the first-team setup.

After a campaign to forget last time out, Wilson now looks poised to shine in a key role for the Liverpool under-23s—and backed by the club with a new contract, there is clearly faith in him to bounce back.

Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk.