Harry Wilson was at a crossroads in his career last summer.
The Welsh winger had just completed a season on loan in the Championship with Cardiff. That was his fifth separate temporary spell away from parent club Liverpool and then aged 24, Wilson had a decision to make. Off the back of an impressive campaign for the Bluebirds, Wilson went with his country to the delayed European Championships although it did not end how he would have liked.
He made three cameos from the bench in the tournament, with his final act seeing him receive a red card in the thumping at the hands of Denmark in the last-16.
There was plenty of speculation over his future but eventually, he ended up cutting ties with Liverpool and moving to the Championship again, this time with freshly-relegated Fulham. They forked out a big fee - reported to be £12m. And it is a decision that has paid off handsomely. Not only are his new employers on the verge of an immediate Premier League return, Wilson is in arguably the best form of his career. He has notched 10 goals in the league and has a whopping 14 assists to his name - the joint-highest tally in the top four divisions.
Those numbers explain why Wilson is one of three players nominated for this season's Championship Player of the Year award, along with Fulham colleague Aleksandar Mitrovic and Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke.
Will Wilson pip Mitrovic to the player of the season award? Let us know in the comments
Prior to this season, Wilson's best output had come during one of those aforementioned loan spells away from Liverpool when he spent the 2018-19 term at Derby. Ironically, next up for Wilson's Fulham is a trip to take on the Rams with both sides firmly heading in different directions.
Whilst the Cottagers are destined for the top table, County are heading for League One after a season littered with problems. The reunion with one of his old clubs is sure to stir emotions for Wilson, who played a huge role in Derby's march to the play-off final that season. He scored 16 times as Frank Lampard's men moved within one game of the top flight.
That would prove to be a sliding doors moment for the East Midlands side, with off-field troubles culminating in their current plight. Speaking before the two sides' goalless draw back in November, Wilson spoke of his affection for his old side. “I loved my time there from start to finish," said the 25-year-old. "It finished on a bit of a sour note losing the play-off final but my experiences there, I’ve got nothing but fond memories.
“The fans, the way they treated me, the support they gave me was unbelievable and the team we had. I made friends for life and people that I still keep in contact with now. I’ve got nothing but happy memories from that place. To see a club that you feel so strongly for being in the situation they’re in, is obviously sad."
With his stock on the rise again, you would not bet against Wilson hammering another nail in his old side's relegation coffin on Friday.
