Wootton: Scott James (Scott)

2013-Current (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Central Defender

Born: Birkenhead: 12-09-1991

Debut: v Doncaster Rovers (a): 27-08-2013

6’2” 13st (2013)

The Birkenhead born Central Defender started with Tranmere Rovers while still a young schoolboy and then joined the Liverpool when still only thirteen. He progressed through the Anfield Academy but signed for Manchester United late in the 2006-07 season, where he broke into the Under-eighteen team while still not yet sixteen. He also played three times for the England Under-Seventeens, in the Nordic Cup in Denmark against Iceland on 30th July, Finland on 31st July and Sweden on 2nd August 2007, as he made good progress through the Junior ranks, captaining the Academy team in 2009-10, and signed professional forms in July 2010. He was loaned to Tranmere Rovers in October 2010 and made his League One debut for them in a 1-1 home draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on 2nd October 2010. After four starts in the League and one in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy he returned to Old Trafford where he progressed to the Reserves. He then returned to Tranmere Rovers and in his first game back he scored his first goal for them in the sixty-first minute of a 1-2 home defeat by Leyton Orient on 11th December 2010. He played his last game for Tranmere in a 2-1 home win over Carlisle United on 3rd January 2011, by which time he had taken the number of games he had played for the Prenton Park side to seven starts in the League and two in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. He then consolidated his place in the Old Trafford Reserves, becoming a regular and getting a taste of the first team when he came on as a substitute for Gary Neville for the final five minutes of his testimonial game against Juventus on 24th Mat 2011, until he was next loaned out to Peterborough United in July 2011 for the 2011-12 season. He made his debut with them as a seventy-sixth minute substitute in a 4-3 League Cup win at Stevenage Borough on 9th August and made his starting debut five days later in a 1-2 loss to Blackpool at Bloomfield Road in the Championship. He started seven League games and came on four more times as a substitute as well as starting one League Cup game and coming on once as a substitute in the same competition and starting one F.A. Cup tie. He returned to Old Trafford on 22nd January 2011, when it was felt that he was not getting enough game time with Posh. So he continued with the Manchester Reserve team until he was loaned to Nottingham Forest on 31st January 2012 for the rest of the 2011-12 season. He made his Championship debut in the 1-1 home draw with Watford on 11th February 2012 and went on to start seven and come on as a substitute in six others in the League before returning to Old Trafford just in time to take part in the Reserves play-off win over Aston Villa. He had shown his versatility while at Forest by also playing full-back as well as Central Defence. He made his Manchester United debut on 26th September 2012 in the 2-1 home win over Newcastle United in the League Cup and soon after, on 2nd October 2012, he made his European debut as a seventy-ninth minute substitute in the 2-1 away win over CFR Cruj. His second League Cup game followed on 31st October as the Old Trafford team went down 4-5 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. There was also a second European match as CFR Cluj took revenge on 5th December by winning 1-0 at Old Trafford. He was not able to add to his tally of two starts in the League Cup and one start and one game from the bench in the European Cup but did go on loan once more to Peterborough United on 9th January 2013 for the rest of the 2012-13 season. He scored in the sixtieth minute of his second Posh debut in a 1-2 loss at Nottingham Forest on 12th January 2013. After just one further game on 19th January 2013 in a 1-1 home draw with Hull City, he picked up a hamstring injury, which saw his return to Old Trafford and the loan spell terminated. He joined Leeds United on a three year contract on 20th August 2013 for a fee that was said to be as much as £1 million, although it was thought to include appearance, and sell on fees. He had a fantastic introduction to the Leeds first team. In his first game, he took only forty-one minutes to register his first goal for Leeds when he opened the scoring in a 3-1 away win at Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup on 27th August 2013. It was to be his only goal that season, but he did establish himself as a fairly regular member of the defence but was far from an ever-present as he started nineteen and came from the bench once in the League and started two in the League Cup and on in the F.A. Cup. He started the first three games of the 2014-15 season but then dropped to the bench before being left out of the squad altogether. He was loaned out to Championship side Rotherham United on 27th November 2014 on a short-term loan until 10th January 2015. He made his debut two days later in a 1-1 home draw in the League with Blackpool. He went on to establish himself as a regular in the Millers first team making seven starts in the League in his time there. When he returned to Elland Road he went straight into the team for the 1-1 home draw with Birmingham City on 17th January 2015 and did not miss a game for the rest of the season and made twenty-three starts in the League and two in the League Cup for the season. On 6th August he joined Milton Keynes Dons in a free transfer and a two year contract.