It is anyone’s guess what Daniel James thinks every time he sees another news story linking Manchester United to Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho. James, who put pen to paper on a five-year deal last summer, is now seemingly on borrowed time at Old Trafford with a large portion of United’s fanbase more than happy to see him head out the door, and for Sancho to replace him on the right-wing.
Whether that happens or not remains to be seen; sources close to the player suggest that he is not expecting to leave Manchester United despite strong links to Leeds. Indeed, Marcelo Bielsa has a tendency not to forget the players that he admires and the word from Elland Road suggests that the Whites could make a late bid for the player they thought they had signed in January 2019, only for Swansea to pull the plug at the eleventh hour.
Whatever eventually transpires, it is safe to say that the Welshman’s future is up in the air but should it be this way? There is reason to believe that James should in fact be going from strength to strength at Manchester United.
Why has the speedster fallen off the pace?
It seemed as if that would happen when the winger scored three times in his first four games for United. It was a start that led many to believe that United had picked up the bargain of the century having paid the Swans a mere £15 million for his services. Life in the Premier League and under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was to get a bit harder though and James’ form would tail off. Come the end of the season, the 22-year-old would register four goals and seven assists in 46 games.
Leeds are interested in Daniel James and think they can secure a deal for him from #mufc for around £12m plus add-ons. [@reluctantnicko] pic.twitter.com/8BVO3UVfCv
— United Zone (@ManUnitedZone_) September 19, 2020
Why it dropped off to the extent it did is hard to say. One must certainly take into account how difficult it is to play for Manchester United and the pressure that rests on the shoulders of new signings. There were probably times over the last 12 months, however, where Solskjaer could have done more to put his arm around the younger winger, especially as James’ father suddenly and unexpectedly passed away before the start of the 2019/2020 campaign.
It does appear that the Welsh international is somewhat in need of a manager with a strong personality at this moment in his career to get the best out of him, or even to help him rediscover his best form. Now, it’s not so much a question of whether Solskjaer is the right manager for Manchester United, but rather if he is the right man to get the best out of James?
Would Elland Road be a better home?
This is why the idea of him linking up with Marcelo Bielsa has its advantages, not only from a technical point of view but also in the sense that Bielsa has a way of grounding his players and turning them into better people. It wouldn’t be a step in the wrong direction either as Leeds are good enough to mix it with the best in the Premier League. At the very least, none of the most popular betting companies in the UK listed on SBO have the Whites at short odds to go down – 888sport, for example, list them at 4/1 for the drop, which shows the rude health of their current standings.
“The goal drought is over!”
Daniel James bags his first goal in 32 games his relief is clear to see ? pic.twitter.com/1E14gUhPqM
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 12, 2020
The feeling is that Leeds will thrive and Daniel James could be the man to help them do that. Even if it isn’t this season, you can’t see the James and Leeds link going away any time soon.
There’s every chance that the Welshman can also see the benefits of moving to a place where he is coveted rather than staying in an environment where he seems to be already written off as a bad investment.
