Why James Wilson feels vindicated for staying at Hearts.

Hearts player James Wilson says he is glad he stayed in Scottish football because he is learning on the job.

New Tynecastle coach Derek McInnes hailed the Scotland international this week and named the 18-year-old as a player who fascinates him. Wilson broke a 138-year-old record by becoming Scotland’s youngest-ever international in March, and he also became the first player to be capped for the Under 21s after playing for the big squad, starting in last week’s 2-1 loss to Slovakia.

McInnes said: “His movement is really top class in and around the box. He works in tight spaces. And he’s proven that he’s a good footballer. He can see that and he knows his way to goal. So the more goal threats you have, the better.

“Getting that balance, having the appropriate kind of strikers. I want to work with four or five strikers at the top of the pitch, and each one must be able to contribute something unique. And I believe James is one of the boys that has a lot to give. Wilson received bids to transfer down south before signing his initial contract with Hearts, and he was also linked with a large money move to Newcastle United earlier this year. But he’s expressed how much he’s enjoyed getting a taste of first-team football in Gorgie.

Wilson stated: “I’ve learnt so much this season. That was one of the reasons I stayed in Scottish football; you basically learn on the job. “I’ve learnt a lot from Lawrence Shankland and Steven Naismith while he was the manager. “I’m learning the game in front of a big audience where we are expected to win and for a team like Hearts, we perhaps didn’t do it as much as we should have this season.

“I got that exposure here though and if I had gone down south, I wouldn’t have got that.” And he’s looking forward to rejoining Steve Clarke’s team for the friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein. He stated, “When I was with Scotland earlier this year, the standard was just so high.” “We have players at the top of their leagues in England and Italy, and seeing how they behaved during the training camp was wonderful.”It’s the little things and it was all about learning every day. I was loving it.”

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