Manchester United loans James Wilson to Brighton and Hove Albion

A day after appearing on Manchester United's bench in the Champions League, James Wilson is off to the Championship.

Manchester United announced Thursday that the promising young forward is off to Brighton and Hove Albion after agreeing to a loan deal until the end of the season.

"We have been keen to add a striker, and James has been our No. 1 target for some time, so we are absolutely delighted to have completed the deal," Brighton manager Chris Hughton told the team's website.

Hughton added, "James is an exciting young striker, and we hope that this move will prove to be very good for all parties involved. ... There was a huge amount of competition from rival clubs to sign James on loan and it has been another great team effort to secure his signature. I now hope he will help us maintain our excellent start to the season, and bring additional goals to the squad."

The 19-year-old has had a limited role with United's first team - appearing in the Capital One Cup and one Premier League match against Arsenal - because of injuries and the emergence of Anthony Martial up front.