Louis van Gaal believes James Wilson’s loan move to Brighton will bring long term benefits to Manchester United.
The Manchester United striker joined the Championship high flyers last night on a loan deal until the end of the season and will be hoping to enjoy a fruitful spell at the south coast club.
Wilson has made just two appearances for Manchester United this season and Van Gaal admits that he has not been able to provide more opportunities to the young forward.
He feels it will be better for the striker to play first team football at Brighton than sit on the sidelines at Manchester United or play for the Under-21s. While Van Gaal admits that the move limits his options in attack, he believes the Red Devils will enjoy long term benefits from the youngster moving to the south coast for the time being.
Van Gaal told MUTV: "I have not always chosen him in the selection, and I think for him it’s better to play at his age than sit on the bench or play in the second squad.
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“In the short term, maybe it’s not so good for Manchester United, but in the long term it’s better.
“This season, he has played eight minutes or something like that, so we have spoken with James and he was fully agreed.
“It is part of the development of a player."
Wilson will be hoping to play more football for Chris Houghton’s side and could make his debut against Birmingham tomorrow.