Van Gaal: Wilson didn’t contribute much
Louis van Vaal admits that sending James Wilson out on loan when Manchester United are struggling for goals may look ‘ridiculous’ to some fans.
The Dutchman has defended his decision by pointing out that Wilson has played only eight minutes of football in the Premier League this season as well as 44 minutes in the Capital One Cup.
The decision to send him on loan to Brighton leaves United with only Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial as specialist strikers.
“Until now he didn’t contribute so much,” said Van Gaal on Friday. “He played a few minutes in the Premier League and a few in the Capital One Cup and was not always in the selection of the squad of 18 players.
“Players of his age need to play and I can imagine that fans are saying that this is ridiculous, they have difficulties to score, but that is a short-term thought.
“We have to think what is better for a player like Wilson and at the moment he does not have too many possibilities to play on a higher level. We believe in him so he has to develop himself elsewhere. If we need him, we can call him back.”