SHOOT for the Stars: West Brom’s Kane Wilson

If a former England international call’s you the most promising 16-year-old they have seen in a long time, you must be doing something right.

For many, West Bromwich Albion’s Kane Wilson is tipped to become the first millennium baby to feature in England’s top flight. A special, but grounded youngster is the way academy coaches refer to the England U16 left back within the West Midlands. Is he a future England star, perhaps?

Wilson has been at the Halfords Lane training complex since the age of seven (that is only nine years ago), alongside a man who has already featured for Albion’s first team in the Premier League in Sam Field.

His thirst to learn made him a favourite within the academy, and by the age of 14 he was already featuring for Albion’s U16 side. Inevitably, interest came from some of England’s finest; Arsenal and Liverpool approached Wilson with the aim of luring him away.

However, he declined. First team football would be easier to grasp in the West Midlands than Merseyside or North London.

Since rejecting two of the Premier League’s giants, Wilson has developed his game massively. The step-up from U16 football to the U18’s eventually came, and was a fundamental part of the Baggies seventh place finish last season in the Group Two Playoffs of the Under 18 Premier League; not bad for a kid who had not even completed his GCSE’s yet.

Weeks after completing his exams, he was back with the Baggies. For a player who had only made three substitute appearences for the Under 21’s the pre-season tour with the first team seems a long way off. But, after attracting the interest of manager Tony Pulis, Wilson made the trip out to Austria with the first team, in the hope of impressing the former Stoke manager.

While in mainland Europe he glistened, as he featured against the likes of PSG and a side who had finished mid-table in the Eredivise the season before in Vitesse. A start followed on his return to the United Kingdom. But, when the Premier League season kicked off again it would be back to reality for Wilson, right?

Not quite. The young Baggie was named on the bench for West Brom’s second round EFL Cup tie over Northampton. “A good day out” he possibly thought; but no way is he going to feature. He was wrong. After Brendan Galloway picked up cramp, the chance came for Wilson to feature for the first team in competitive football.

He calls it the best week of his life. Two days later he picked up his GCSE results (well, his parents did; Wilson was at training.) He excelled at these as well; picking up two A’s, as well as four B’s and five C’s. The year 2016, will be one that Wilson will remember fondly.

He will remember it more fondly, however, if he plays Premier League football within the next two and a half months. But what can fans expect if Pulis gives him the nod? He is an all-round athlete; one of the main reasons why he made it on to the plane was because of his pre-season fitness test results.

But it’s not all just about his physical attributes. He was born with a fantastic first touch, and can sail by midfielders on the left flank to create opportunities for his team. His composure – for his age – is remarkable, as nothing seems to trouble the teenager on the road to England glory.
One to watch? Most definitely.