Hearts striker James Wilson says he is excited rather than scared to face Mo Salah and Trabzonspor in the Conference League, three years after watching the Egyptian score twice in Liverpool's 7-0 win over his beloved Manchester United.
Wilson was in the stands at Anfield for that humbling defeat, a memory that still stings. Now he will share a pitch with Salah and Brazilian midfielder Fabinho, who also played that day, when the Jambos take on the Turkish side in their latest group stage game on Thursday evening.
Growing up watching stars
The Scotland international told reporters: "It's cool. These are the games you want to play as a player. I've grown up watching some of these players and it's an exciting opportunity to play against them."
Recalling the 7-0 loss, he said: "I am a Manchester United fan I went down for a Manchester United versus Liverpool game. I think it was the 7-0 game. In fact I know it was 7-0. I don't remember if any of them were there, but I'm looking forward to this occasion. It's going to be amazing. I look forward to it. I'm not going into the game scared. I'm excited and happy to be here."
Bouncing back from Celtic defeat
Hearts are seeking a response after conceding seven goals in a defeat to champions Celtic at the weekend. Wilson insists the squad has moved on from that result.
"For us, we just have to draw a line under it," he said. "We're looking forward to this game. It's a great opportunity, a great stadium, and we're excited. They're a good team and we're looking forward to it. That's always the aim (a positive result). We want to give the best of ourselves and try to get a result here."
Manager Wouter Vrancken has prepared the team thoroughly, with Wilson adding: "We've done our analysis. They seem a good team and they've started the season well. We're not going to give too much away, but we're looking forward to the game and feel we're in a good position."
European journey this season
Hearts have already faced Sturm Graz in Champions League qualifying and Benfica in the Europa League before dropping into the Conference League, where they beat Rapid Vienna to reach the group stage. They drew their opening home game against Nordsjaelland.
Wilson, who played in Europe two seasons ago when Hearts narrowly missed out on qualifying from the Conference League group stage, said: "We knew when we saw the ties at the start of the season that it was going to be tough. We looked at Graz, then Benfica, and then we got the draw (in Vienna), that was really exciting."
The teenager, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, has earned a starting role under Vrancken. He said: "I'm happy. I'm back playing in the team again. I didn't play a lot last season and I didn't start as many games earlier this season, but I've played a lot of minutes. I'm happy to help the team however I can."
With his contract expiring in the summer, Wilson remains focused on the present: "It's still early. There's a lot of football left in the season. I'm enjoying my football, I'm playing and scoring a few goals, so I'm happy with everything at the moment."
