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James Wilson was billed as the 'next star' at Manchester United before injury and anxiety turned the dream into a nightmare... now the striker, 26, is enjoying a resurgence at Port Vale and has his sights set on Wembley

Most kids dream of the Hollywood lifestyle of being a footballer but few discuss the emotional scars of being released, career-threatening injuries and tabloid speculation.

The darker side of the profession — being sent on loan 200 miles away from your family as a teenager or the parasitic anxiety that comes with the pressure of elite football.

James Wilson has lived it all. He scored two goals on his Manchester United debut and heard 75,000 chant his name at the Theatre of Dreams. Injuries and anxieties turned those dreams into a nightmare, but Wilson says he has found his peak fitness at Port Vale.