Express & Star

Donovan Wilson learning worldwide language of football

Wolves striker Donovan Wilson said he’s glad he made the switch to Spanish side Jumilla – especially as he’s got Google Translate to help him.

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Donovan Wilson

The youngster is with the third-tier Spanish outfit for the season, one of nine Wolves players to make the move as part of an official link-up between the two clubs.

“It’s really good and a different experience,” said the 21-year-old.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming to Spain, a different country, and I don’t speak the language, but it’s been good so far and I’m glad I came.

“It’s a bit different to League Two, because when I went to Port Vale (on loan last season) it was a lot more physical than it is over here in Spain, but even this is more physical than under-23 football, so it’s good to experience different things.

“It’s always good to have different options, so rather than just having the options in England if you go over and do well in Spain you have those options as well and your name gets out more. Wolves have got a strong link with Jumilla and it’s very different to England, the food is very different, and, over here in Murcia, they don’t speak a lot of English. Sometimes I have to use Google Translate to get my points across!

“But we’ve learnt a couple of easy words to help our communication on the pitch, words such as ‘change, left, right, forward, man on’, so the football lingo is all right.”

Wilson, who scored for Nuno Espirito Santo’s first-team during a 2-0 Carabao Cup win at Southampton early last season, didn’t feature regularly for Port Vale when he went on loan from January onwards.

That’s all changed at Jumilla, where he’s scored four goals so far.

Wilson added: “On my last loan I didn’t play as much as I wanted.

“But over here I’ve been playing game after game, and I’m pleased that I’m getting more minutes into my legs, getting me fitter, stronger, so it’s been a really good experience.

“I just want to do well at Jumilla and score as many as I can.

“My goal target up until January is 10 and I’m nearly halfway there, so hopefully I can reach that.

“It was a bit weird playing against Wolves (in a friendly against the under-23s last week) because it’s not something you do really, play against your own team, but it was fun and once the whistle went and we started playing, you get used to it and it’s just a game again.

“I’ve been watching the first team a lot this season and they’re doing really well. It’s great to see young players having a chance, with Elliot Watt starting in the Carabao Cup against Sheffield Wednesday and Benny Ashley-Seal coming on and scoring a penalty against Leicester.

“I keep in contact with the guys at Wolves all the time.

“Every week I’m talking to them about different things, such as what I want to improve on, so it’s been good having that contact.”