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Manchester United have option of James Wilson recall

James Wilson scored Brighton's first goal in their 3-2 victory over Charlton on Saturday
Image: James Wilson scored his first goal for Brighton against Charlton

James Wilson's immediate impact in the Championship with Brighton has increased the possibility that he could be recalled by Manchester United.

The striker has scored in his last two games for Chris Hughton's side to help them remain unbeaten and stay top of the table.

After netting a fine solo effort in last week's 3-2 win against Charlton, Wilson also got the opener with a near-post volley in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Derby.

Wilson, 20, was signed on a youth loan by Albion which gives United the right of recall from the end of December, and it seems increasingly likely he could be taken back by United manager Louis van Gaal given his parent team's poor form in recent weeks.

Wilson's temporary move from Old Trafford was something of a surprise given the lack of recognised forwards in United's squad.

Brighton's James Wilson celebrates for Brighton
Image: Wilson is contracted to remain at Brighton for the rest of the season but Manchester United can recall him

Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Javier Hernandez all left the club in the summer leaving them short of attackers.

Hernandez's departure has been hard for fans to stomach given he has scored two more goals for new club Bayer Leverkusen in the last two months than United have as a whole.

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It seemed as the new season began that Wilson, who turned 20 at the start of the month, would get more opportunities to play.

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Brighton's James Wilson showed his finishing prowess, scoring the first goal in a 2-2 draw at Derby

However, he only played the final eight minutes of a 3-0 loss at Arsenal and the first half against Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup before being moved on.

Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney are now the only strikers Van Gaal has to call upon, but Martial has not scored in the Premier League since September.

Although Rooney did find the net more recently during a 3-0 win at Everton in October, that strike is one of only two he has in the league.

James Wilson shakes hands with Louis Van Gaal after signing a five-year contract extension in September
Image: Wilson signed a five-year contract extension with United but has played only twice for them this season

United lost 2-1 at Bournemouth on Saturday and have failed to win any of their last five games, although they did win their previous three, a run which came after four consecutive draws.

England U21 international Wilson is due to spend the rest of the campaign with Brighton but it remains to be seen if he will see the deal out.

He recently said he was not thinking about an early return to United, insisting he had gone out on loan to score goals and help Hughton's men win promotion.

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