Paul Clement confirms Derby County interest in signing Manchester United striker James Wilson on loan

Derby County manager Paul Clement has admitted his interest in signing striker James Wilson on loan. However, he confirms that no deal has been agreed yet and that the club are still waiting to hear back from Manchester United regarding the 19 year old's future, amid interest from several other Championship outfits .

Louis van Gaal is not currently blessed with a wealth of options in the final third following Javier Hernandez's move to Bayer Leverkusen and the decision to allow Robin van Persie to leave for Fenerbahce in July. The respective signings of Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial should certainly help in this regard, although allowing Adnan Januzaj to join Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the 2015/16 season was a questionable decision, especially after he scored just 20 minutes into his debut in a friendly against St. Pauli.

As seen during matches against Club Brugge and Swansea already this term, Marouane Fellaini is frequently deployed in an advanced role for United when they are in desperate need of a goal. Few supporters would be content to see Van Gaal rely on the towering Belgian to fulfil this role on a frequent basis, though, potentially leading to opportunities for Wilson to add to his 18 senior appearances for the club.

It appears that Van Gaal favours a loan move for the England U21 international over a regular place on the substitutes' bench at Old Trafford, however, with reports from The Telegraph suggesting that up to 14 second-tier clubs – including the likes of promotion chasers Queens Park Rangers, Hull and Wolves – are vying for his signature. Derby were believed to have jumped to the front of that lengthy queue, although Clement has been keen to stress they have not won that particular race.

"It is a possibility but not a certainty," he was quoted as saying by Press Association Sport ahead of Derby's trip to newly promoted Preston on 12 September. "We have shown an interest. He is a very talented player and a number of other clubs have shown an interest as well. We are waiting to hear back from Manchester United."

Derby have endured a rather underwhelming start to life under the former Chelsea and Real Madrid assistant, with no wins and four draws from their opening five games. The Rams reasserted their ambition by signing midfielders Bradley Johnson and Jacob Butterfield before the transfer window closed.

Bolton are another Championship outfit hoping to strike lucky in the Wilson sweepstakes. Manager Neil Lennon, who welcomed United duo Ben Amos and Saidy Janko on loan last season before signing the former on a free transfer in July, told BBC Radio Manchester that he would be interested in a deal, with his side having scored just once in the league since the opening day.