Daniel James will enrage and annoy Man Utd fans this season… but so did Cristiano Ronaldo
DANIEL JAMES started Manchester United against Wolves last night and his performance will leave fans in two minds.
The Wales international who joined from Swansea in the summer has an electric rhythm that had not been seen in years at the club.
His acceleration and dynamism with and without the ball was something worth contemplating when trying to impress the Wolves.
There were some clean touches and good pressure from the start, which immediately left Manchester United fans behind him.
But as the first half progressed, James was signed by referee Jon Moss for a perceived dive.
Cue Wolves fans boo the 21-year-old for the rest of the game.
Daniel James showed glimpses of his ability as Man Utd drew with Wolves (Image: GETTY)
James seemed electric every time he grabbed the ball, faced his man but stripped off or chose the wrong option in the last third, to the frustration of visiting fans.
Reminds you of someone?
The last time a young talent who possessed the amount of rhythm and skill that James has was true Cristiano Ronaldo.
The young Portuguese extreme would do everything right, but he would add an additional step and lose the ball countless times.
Of course, Ronaldo was not bad, right?
Now, certainly, I am not saying that James is going to win the Golden Ball or soon, but James undoubtedly has the power, the pace and the talent to become a leading footballer for years to come.
When United won a point at Molineux, what should be remembered most is James’ performance.
I had all the elements to suggest that I could become a superstar in the future.
But in the meantime, fans will have to learn to accept being upset or irritated by the wrong decisions that each young player makes at the beginning of their career.
And while publicly supporting James after his dive reservation, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can speak privately with the Welshman about the ease with which he was falling.
After the game, the Norwegian said: “For me, we never had a foul in the first.
Man Utd winger Daniel James did get booked for diving against Wolves (Image: GETTY)
“They received a counterattack, committed a foul and almost had a chance.
“It’s so fast and they kick it so many times that sometimes it is natural to protect themselves.”
“I have not seen [the” immersion “] that is not live. And, for me, how many failures suffered today?
“How many times did they spend it? “I have absolutely no problem if you sometimes try to avoid being kicked.”
James scored in his Premier League debut against Chelsea to score his first goal with United.
Only 83 more to reach the level with Ronaldo count on the top flight for the Red Devils at that time.