Best known in England for his time with Wigan Athletic and Norwich City - and featuring in a £7m transfer between the clubs - Dutch-born Suriname international Yanic Wildschut joined Exeter City early in the 2023/24 season. Most recently at Oxford United, he had also played in the Netherlands, Israel and Bulgaria. Called up by Suriname during his first season with Exeter, Yanic suffered a serious injury on the eve of his second season at St James' Park. 

Born in Amsterdam and a member of Ajax’s academy during his teens, Yanic started his professional career at PEC Zwolle before moving on to VVV-Venlo, Heerenveen and ADO Den Haag (loan) whilst also representing the Netherlands at under-21 level. Signing for Middlesbrough in 2014 he made thirteen first-team appearances during his first season before a loan period at Wigan Athletic, then  managed by future Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell. Signing permanently in January 2016, he was named in that season’s PFA League One Team of the Year as his new club went on to win promotion. 

Having scored eleven goals in 59 league appearances for the Lancashire club, Yanic signed for Norwich City for a fee of £7m in January 2017. Making just thirteen league starts for the Canaries, he was loaned to Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers before joining Maccabi Haifa in July 2019. Spending two years in Israel, he subsequently had a season in Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia during which time he switched his international allegiance to Suriname for whom he made his debut in March 2022.

Agreeing terms with Oxford United in July 2022 he was to appear in 23 league games in an injury-disrupted single-season stay and was without a club before signing for Exeter City at the age of thirty-one in September 2023. He promptly made his debut against Cheltenham Town within a day of joining the club and, soon afterwards, was selected for the Suriname squad to face Haiti and Grenada in CONCACAF Gold Cup games. Scoring against Swindon Town in the EFL Trophy in November 2023, Yanic netted his first league goal for City at Stevenage on 16 December 2023 ahead of his initial short-term contract being extended until the end of the 2023/24 season.    

Often used as a substitute, Yanic started 13 league games during 2023/24 - with another 18 appearances off the bench - which earned him a contract extension only for him to suffer a serious injury in the friendly against Eastleigh on 3 August 2024 that threatened to put him out of action for many months.