Former Manchester United winger Daniel James fired Leeds that little bit closer to the Premier League in midweek with the Wales international adding to a career-best tally in the final third.
During that that long-awaited and eye-opening interview, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had nothing buy good things to say about the role that baby-faced roadrunner played in his Manchester United side.
Dan James was not the most technically-gifted player in Solskjaer’s Red Devils squad. But, when United were going up against one of the division’s better sides, the £20 million signing from Swansea City was often a regular fixture on the team sheet, James’ searing pace giving United a fearsome counter-attacking threat.
A threat Erik ten Hag’s increasingly one-paced side certainly could have done with as they found themselves hemmed in away to Man City, United hanging on for dear life before losing 3-1 at a ground in which Solskjaer triumphed on no fewer than three occasions.
Dan James was important to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
“There were players whose main strength was counter-attacking, running and digging in,” Solskjaer explains to The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast.
“In previous years, you had players like (Andreas) Pereira, (Dan) James and (Jesse) Lingard that could run all day. And it’s easy to set up a team and beat City away from home.
“We were one of the highest pressing teams before (Cristiano Ronaldo’s return),” the Norwegian adds, his United structure collapsing once the club sacrificed a key cog in the Solskjaer gameplan for an emotional homecoming pursued more with the heart than the head.
“We let Dan James go when Cristiano came in, and they’re two different types of players.”
It is Leeds, Man United’s old cross-Pennine rivals, who are benefitting from James’ rapid acceleration and ever-improving end-product these days.
For what he brought in terms of pure speed, James often lacked in execution at Old Trafford. Now under Daniel Farke, albeit in the division below, the 26-year-old is finally adding a ruthless streak to his game, a man often accused of being more than a little one-dimensional transforming into one of the Championship’s more multi-functional forwards.
Former Manchester United man is in superb form
James’ fierce if deflected winner during Tuesday’s 1-0 triumph over Stoke City took his tally of goals to 11 in 2023/24. More than double his previous best return. James now has 18 goal contributions in all competitions. As many as he managed in 74 appearances for the Red Devils.
“Dan James, continuing his incredible form,” EFL expert George Elek told Not The Top 20 podcast after the in-form forward scored in three successive league games the other side of Christmas.
“A player who, in my mind not that long ago, was so reliant on his pace, it is incredible seeing him basically never using his pace anymore. Is he still quick? I don’t really even know.
“Because everything he does seems to be technically good rather that just him scampering in behind and doing what he used to do.
“I am so impressed by him. And this is from someone who used to really, really doubt him as a player.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/9JYVLTB