Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy has insisted that Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson is a Premier League quality player and that he should be given a chance by his parent club next season.

Wilson has been a strong performer for the Bluebirds this season in the Championship and he has managed to chip in with seven goals and 11 assists in his 36 Championship appearances. The Wales international was on target with a hat-trick in Cardiff’s 4-0 thrashing of Birmingham City on Saturday in a performance that reminded everyone of his quality.

The attacker has recently suggested that his long-term future could well be away from Liverpool now with him believing that he might need to find a more settled home. While McCarthy has already indicated that a return to the Bluebirds at this stage is looking unlikely for the attacker and for any of their other current loanees.

Speaking to Wales Online following Cardiff’s win at Birmingham, McCarthy insisted that he believes Wilson is a Premier League quality player and suggested that Liverpool should be willing to gibe him a chance next season to make an impact at Anfield.

He said: "Why could he not go back to Liverpool and play there?

"He is their player. I'm not going to pick and choose where he should go, but he is absolute quality. He is a great pro. Even the first game when he was left out and everybody was shocked, he responded brilliantly.

"That's what I love about him. His ability and sheer determination to play. He is Liverpool's player and I would love to see him go back and play there.

"But he has been to Hull, Bournemouth, Derby, here. I think he feels he got a raw deal from the Premier League from his time at Bournemouth, because they got relegated and almost like it reflects badly on him.

"It shouldn't do. I saw him play for them. I sincerely hope [the Premier League] is where he is next year because that's where he deserves to be."

The Verdict:

It is hard to disagree with McCarthy’s assessment here that Wilson is a Premier League quality player and that he could potentially make an impact at Liverpool if they were to give him the chance to feature next season.

However, that does seem highly unlikely considering the options that they have available to them and also that they are likely to invest in their attacker further this summer.

Wilson could certainly earn a move to another Premier League club and that is the level that he should be aspiring to having spent another season on loan in the Championship this term. The Wales international reminded everyone on Saturday why he should potentially be operating at a higher level than the second tier and showed his class with his hat-trick.

He will also have the chance in the summer to impress with Wales in the European Championships, which could put him even more in the shop window. There will be many fans at Cardiff wishing him well after the contributions he has made for the Bluebirds throughout his loan spell this season.