Hearts declare their plans for teenage prodigy James Wilson after impressive goalscoring feats

Teenage Hearts striker James Wilson is poised to push for a first-team place next season after making rapid progress in recent months. He has jumped from the club’s under-18 squad to the B team and into the senior side in the last year and will get the chance to cement himself in head coach Steven Naismith’s group this summer.

Wilson rejected interest from English Premier League sides to sign his first professional contract with Hearts last year. He made his debut as a 16-year-old in January’s Scottish Cup win at Spartans. Now 17, the Scotland youth internationalist trains with the first team at Riccarton every day and is developing steadily.

Naismith hopes to see several youth academy graduates pressing for inclusion in next season’s first-team squad. He has watched Wilson closely at B team level and told the Edinburgh News of the player’s improvement.

“James has progressed this season and from about September onwards he has trained every day with the first team,” said Naismith. “He has been involved in all the bounce games, which is probably a bit quicker than what he was ready for. Knowing his character and the type of player he is, we felt he would jump up.

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“Now, when you watch him in training, he is like a first-team player. He moves about like a first-team player, his touch is there, he doesn't get caught on the ball, he makes the right passes and he has a calmness. I still think he needs games.

“Up until a couple of months ago, in the B team matches he was still learning how to deal with that physicality and being relevant in the game all the time. It's a massive jump for him. He was 16 when he went into the B team. Over the last six or eight weeks, I feel he is now starting to impact the games. You can see that from the goals he is scoring.”

Wilson scored 11 times in six B team appearances for Hearts since the turn of the year. Naismith outlined what he expects from the youngster in the months ahead. “He has done what I have asked him to and that shows his hunger,” he continued. “James is just desperate to progress so we have to make sure he gets his opportunity. He made his debut against Spartans because I thought that game needed him. Lawrence Shankland was out and I felt he was the one on the bench who could make a difference.

“If James goes through pre-season, does well and makes it into the first team squad, my expectation is that he would be part of the first team and would be considered for each game. It's about getting that balance and keeping players' confidence going on an upward trajectory.

“You don't want him having a real high from getting into the first team and then maybe not playing for a month. Then his confidence is dropping. It's about trying to keep him on that upward curve so that every time he hits a milestone, it pushes him to the next stage and the next stage. James is one example but there are a few others I expect to be pushing at the start of next season.”