Perhaps the biggest surprise of the transfer window as far as Aberdeen fans were concerned was the return to Pittodrie of James Wilson, this time on a permanent deal after his successful loan spell with the club last term.

When we said goodbye at the end of last season, it was particularly sad given the way that he ended the campaign on such a high. But as press rumours swirled of lucrative moves to Sunderland, Preston or even to the United States, the Red Army could be forgiven for thinking we’d seen the last of him for the Dons.

James, however, was thinking along very different lines.

“There were moves away that I could have had in the summer, maybe even American ones that were offering more money. My agent dealt with all that. He dealt with everything and didn’t really notify me unless I needed to be notified. I am sure there were offers in from other clubs. But I enjoyed my time so much here, I was just getting back to being happy and enjoying my football, that became the biggest factor in everything. It was so important to me, the enjoyment I got playing at Aberdeen and being with a set of lads I like being around and can trust. My time here was perfect and hopefully I can keep building on what I have and keep going.”

Wilson battled to get his career back on track at Pittodrie last season having once been one of the hottest properties in English football following his goalscoring debut with United. Ultimately an anterior cruciate ligament injury, suffered on loan to Derby County in October 2016, derailed his career. It required surgery and kept the England Under-23 captain out for the season. Now free of the burden of expectation that comes with being a player for one of the biggest teams in the world, Wilson is determined to reignite his career at Pittodrie and be happy again.

“When I was injured that was a big strain on my mental state. Then I went to Sheffield United and wasn’t really playing, so I got stuck in a rut a little bit. With the loan to Aberdeen, I started playing more regularly and the lads were brilliant with me. They brought me into the group and got around me when I was down. It was a really positive mood and a really positive move for me. There was nothing stopping me from coming back.

“On top of that, I value the support I get from the fans. I see bits and pieces on social media, which is a big thing in the game and the world at the moment. I don’t get too involved in that side of things, but the support from the Aberdeen fans has been great and I don’t want to let them down this season.”

Having come through the youth ranks at Manchester United to become a first-team player, Wilson made a sensational debut when scoring twice in a 3-1 defeat of Hull City in May 2014. The then Old Trafford boss Louis van Gaal was so impressed that the following season, he hailed Wilson as one of England’s brightest talents and insisted the then 18-year-old had the potential to succeed Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. Van Gaal signed Wilson on a four-year contract until June 2019.

“I was a Manchester United fan growing up, so it was a bit of a surprise when my dad came home and asked if I wanted to go and training with them! With it being such a global club and one of the biggest sporting organisations in the world, you are always under the spotlight, no matter what you are doing – whether that be putting something on social media or walking around the Trafford Centre on a day off. You do get recognised quite a lot. To some people it is a bit of a chore but for me it is part of the job. You just have to deal with it and focus on your football.

“The standard in training every day was obviously extremely high but the competition for places was the same as it is everywhere. There are always players going for people’s shirts. Everyone wants to start games and there can only be 11 players on the field.

“That’s what I was trying to do at United, trying my best to give the manager a problem. The fact I started some games ahead of some very big name players, I must have been doing something right.

“Scoring two goals on my debut is something I will always remember. I don’t remember much about the game but I do remember the goals. Apart from scoring a hat-trick it could not have gone much better!

“The amount of things I learnt from Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney in particular is a big testament to them as professionals. They were very good at helping the younger players. Hopefully going forward, I can pass on some of the advice I got to the younger players here in the coming years.

“There is pressure with it being such a big club and huge expectations for you to be a good player and not just that, to be a good person in general. I have tried to live up to that, even as an ex-player, as much as possible.

“I was expecting them to release me this summer for a while to be honest as I had been on loan the last few years. I really enjoyed my time at Manchester United but after that start, especially when I went on loan, I was always the boy that came from United and all of that, so that pressure has lifted a little now.

“Saying that, there is always going to be pressure here anyway and I have to try to deal with that. But here, that pressure is on us as a team not individuals, it’s about the group. I have to focus on doing what I do best which is what I have been doing for the last few years.

“I’ve been trying to catch up a little bit so far this season because I came in a bit later than the other lads because of getting the move sored out. Nowadays, everyone tries to keep on top of their fitness over the summer anyway. I had just the two weeks off before going back into some running, but that’s still not the same as training with the club. Obviously, the boys here were in for training two weeks before me, so I’ve been doing extra work to catch up. I’m definitely getting there now. You need to have confidence in your fitness.

“Getting those 67 minutes at Kilmarnock helped me towards getting my match fitness back and that is what is important to me at the moment. I feel I am getting closer to playing 90 minutes but obviously, it’s difficult when you don’t play every week. That’s good for the team in that it shows we’ve got real competition for places, but it doesn’t make it easy to find that sharpness.

“I want to get to the levels I showed through last season and especially towards the end of it. I didn’t really want the season to finish because I had a good run in team and I started to play quite well. Because of other injuries, I got a place on the wing, provided a couple of assists in the 2-1 win over Hearts and also scored in the final game at Easter Road, so the season could not have finished any better!

“After that, a big reason for coming back here was wanting to build on what I did at the tail end of last season. Hopefully I can produce that sort of form on a regular basis.

“I think the manager sees me more of a wide man this year but being versatile gives him the option to play me in different positions. I haven’t really got any preference to be honest on whether I play up top or in a wide area. I just like to get on the ball and do my thing when I can. More important is just playing and enjoying my football.

“I can still have an influence in the final third even if I am playing wide. Niall has proved that over the years. I can still get goals and it’s important everyone in the team contributes to the scoresheet. The goals dried up a little bit prior to the Ross County game after a very promising start to the season. We were struggling to get into those really decisive areas where we can really hurt teams and score goals.

“Big Sam has been brilliant with ten goals already, carrying on his form from last season, but it can’t all be just on him to score goals. We all need to chip in with assists and goals. We have more than enough quality and versatility in the squad to do that.

“The big thing we needed to be better at, and what we have been working on, is the contribution at the top end of the pitch. The defending has been quite good and one positive coming from the last couple of games has been the clean sheets. At the other end though we need to get into the right areas faster than we have been and that will allow us to create chances to score goals.”

Reserves | QOTS v Aberdeen