Manchester United academy wonderkid Ethan Wheatley is looking to make up for lost time after enduring a disappointing second half of last season.
He was sent out on loan to League Two club Walsall, where he managed only four appearances, with only two of them coming from the start.
Not once did he complete 90 minutes with the Walsall manager pointing out his unhappiness with the 19-year-old’s training displays.
Once back from loan, the England U19 international showed he had not lost any of is predatory instincts, scoring thrice in three PL2 play-off games for the reserves.
Ethan Wheatley’s difficult loan spell
And back on the international stage, the Stockport-born player has continued to let his feet do the talking, scoring England U19’s second goal against Germany in the U19 European Championships, which sparked his team’s remarkable comeback.
After the game, the young Englishman spoke to PA News Agency (via Sky Sports) and explained how eager he is to catch Ruben Amorim’s eye and eventually make it as a United player.
“I’m just more concentrated on this tournament. But, yeah, since Ruben Amorim came in, I was away with international camp and, obviously, went on loan in January, so I’ve not really been around it too much.
“But I want to be a Man United player in the future. If that doesn’t happen, then it obviously wasn’t meant to be. We’ll just see what happens in the future.”
His mental strength was on full show as the Carrington graduate explained how he will not let the failed loan spell bog him down, as he intends to prove to everyone his worth once again.
“Even if my first loan move didn’t go well – and it didn’t – I had it in the back of my head. And I was telling staff around the club, it’s not going to define me as a player.
“It’s not going to judge where I end up in the future. I think it’s just like a little blip in my early career and, hopefully, I can just bounce back from it going into next season.”
Coming back to United and playing a handful of games for the U21s helped him regain hos confidence, which he has carried into the international arena.
Back with a bang for England U19s
“My second half of the season has been frustrating. Not being able to show what I’m about, really. But I think this tournament is the perfect way to do it. I think there’ll be a lot of eyes on it and, obviously, representing your country in a Euros, there’s not much better than that.
“It’ll be good to hopefully impress and, just for myself and for the team, play my part and do well. The club have been good with me. They’ve let me come back and play a few Under-21s games, just to keep my legs going, so it’s been good to be back at United, developing and getting game-time.”
With no striker recruited yet, Ethan Wheatley will be hoping Ruben Amorim calls him up for pre-season where he will be eager to show he can stick around and mix with the best in the business.
Or else, a loan deal will most likely be sanctioned given Chido Obi’s emergence as well as the player recently signing a long-term extension.
The academy ace has four caps for the senior team and will be hoping to add more in the years to come with his new deal proof that the club trust him to come good.
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
