Sheffield United and Derby County were both hit by Man Utd transfer bullet | OneFootball

James Wilson only scored one goal for each Championship club in separate loan spells across a two-year period

By and large, there have been quite a few forwards to play for both Sheffield United and Derby County over the last decade or so.

David McGoldrick, whether you can call him an out-and-out striker or not, is perhaps the main one that springs to mind from the past few years who is highly appreciated by both sets of fans for obvious reasons.

Then you have the likes of Rhian Brewster and Patrick Bamford, who are now playing Championship football for Derby and Sheff Utd respectively, having also spent time at the other.

But, regardless of how Blades and Rams fans feel about the above pair, they can both agree that they have had/are making a lot more impact on their club's than a certain striker from Manchester United, James Wilson.

James Wilson was Manchester United's golden boy

Before Derby County or Sheffield United ever entered the picture, James Wilson was the poster boy for Manchester United’s academy revival.

Scouted at the age of seven and fast‑tracked through every single youth level, he racked up remarkable numbers in some of these age groups, including a five‑goal haul for the under‑18s against Newcastle United and four in a Manchester Senior Cup final against Manchester City.

That form earned Wilson his Premier League debut in May 2014, when he scored twice against Hull City and was immediately talked up as one of the club’s brightest young English prospects.

It was in that context that the Rams and later Blades stepped forward, each hoping to benefit temporarily from a Manchester United striker desperate to prove his hype. Yet, it's fair to say neither loan spell went according to plan...

Where it went wrong for Manchester United's James Wilson at Derby County

The Derby County chapter is the one that seems like the real sliding doors moment in James Wilson’s career. Sent out by Man Utd to gain more regular Championship minutes in 2016 - after an earlier loan spell with Brighton - he joined a Rams side initially under Nigel Pearson.

However, Wilson’s loan never really got going on the pitch, and he failed to score in four league appearances for the East Midlands outfit.

His only goal came in an EFL Trophy tie against Doncaster Rovers before disaster struck on the training ground. Said disaster was an ACL injury which forced Wilson to cut short his stay at Pride Park and return to Old Trafford for surgery.

When that news came out, Steve McClaren, who had only replaced Pearson as Derby's manager nine days prior, said to BBC Sport, "Only last week I was saying how much I was looking forward to working with him because he's an exciting young talent.

"I know that he will bounce back from this disappointment. As well as being a very good player he is also a strong and determined character," McClaren added.

As much as a bad injury like that isn't the player's fault, Wilson failed to bounce back when given the opportunity to do so two years later at Sheffield United.

James Wilson failed to bounce back from Derby County woes at Sheffield United

By the time Wilson arrived at Bramall Lane on loan in January 2018, the narrative around him had shifted from a ‘golden boy’ to a talented but fragile forward needing a reset.

Yet Chris Wilder insisted that the Manchester United striker had told him he was the ‘fittest he’d ever been’ - backing his ability to translate into Championship goals.

Via Sky Sports, the Blades' manager said upon the striker's signing, "James has a fantastic pedigree having come through the ranks at Manchester United and importantly has some good Championship experience.

"He says he is raring to go and is the fittest he has ever been, so couple that with his undoubted ability and desire to impress, then I'm sure he will improve the group."

Ultimately, there’s not a great deal more to say about how his spell in South Yorkshire went, other than that Wilson managed just one goal in eight league games.

Perhaps the temptation for both Derby and Sheffield United fans is to look back at the player's loan and say 'what if'?

Derby could reasonably argue that they never got to see anything like the real player, with the ACL injury arriving before Steve McClaren could actually work with him. Sheffield United, meanwhile, might feel that the version they signed still carried too many problems from that previous setback to truly seize the opportunity that Wilder offered him in the Championship.