Derby County’s on-loan attacker Harry Wilson has been superb this season.
Derby County are in danger of becoming over-reliant on Harry Wilson this season and it doesn’t bode well for the future with the player all-but certain to remain at parent club Liverpool next year.
The Wales international joined the Rams on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool last summer, and few at Pride Park could have quite predicted the influence he would have on the side.
Wilson has become a mainstay in the first-team, making 17 Championship starts, with manager Frank Lampard deploying him in a range of attacking positions depending on the opposition.
While predominantly a winger, the 21-year-old has the ability to play through the middle and Derby’s best performances this season at West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough saw him as a central midfielder.
But due to injuries to the likes of Tom Lawrence and Martyn Waghorn in particular, the bulk of his performances have come as a wide forward and over the past month it seems he has become Derby’s go-to star.
Wilson’s fired in a double in the 2-1 win over Swansea City, while his latest free-kick goal against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane was his sixth goal from outside the box this season – one more than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
The Liverpool youngster’s ball-striking technique is arguably better than any other player outside the Premier League, but Derby are seemingly becoming too reliant on pieces of magic from him to get them through games.
Wilson has scored five of Derby’s eight goals over the past seven matches – a run which has only seen them win three and pick up just two points from their last three league encounters.
Lampard must strengthen Derby’s attacking options in January to take the burden off Wilson, and he must also look for a long-term solution as without Wilson the east Midlands side are beginning to look toothless and short of top six potential.
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