The Scotland international got the opportunity to join the Villains, but opted against it.

James Wilson, a young striker at Hearts, has defended his choice to turn down offers from Aston Villa and Manchester United, despite recently breaking into the first-team.

Wilson signed a two-year contract with Hearts in May 2023 after visiting the training fields of several English teams, including Villa and Manchester United.Celtic, Rangers, Leeds United, Fulham, and Brighton & Hove Albion are among the clubs said to be interested.

Wilson was the hero in the Edinburgh Derby on Sunday, scoring the equalizer for Hearts against Hibernian. Neil Critchley, former assistant manager of Aston Villa, is currently in charge of Hearts and took the choice to introduce the kid.

Wilson, who is only 17, has defended his choice to reject numerous English teams, including Villa. He has made six first-team appearances, scoring two goals, and feels that playing at the senior level in Scotland is the ideal decision for his career right now.

“I hope to stay here,” he told Not the Old Firm, a Scottish football website.

“I hope to continue playing well. Whatever happens, occurs.

“Ultimately, if I went down south, I’m not sure where I would be right now. I could play under-18 football down there, so I’m just trying to show there’s another possibility. You envision a time like that aim. That’s what I intended to do the night before.

“I wanted to score a better goal!” But I wanted to score. That was great. Then I wanted to determine the winner. I wanted to win the game. More older lads advised me to slow the game down and relax. To be honest, I was simply really excited to score.”

Wilson is under contract with Hearts until the summer of 2025, with the option to extend it by another year. The Scottish club plans to give him a new contract based on his performance in the derby.

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