Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had nothing but positive things to say about the baby-faced roadrunner’s position in his Manchester United team during that eagerly expected and eye-opening interview.
Dan James wasn’t the Red Devils’ best player technically speaking under Solskjaer. However, James, a £20 million addition from Swansea City, was frequently a permanent fixture on the team sheet when United faced one of the stronger teams in the division, providing a terrifying counterattacking danger because to his blistering pace.
Erik ten Hag’s increasingly stagnant team faced a threat they could have easily avoided when they were hemmed in against Man City, where United barely survived before losing 3-1 at a stadium where Solskjaer had won three times.
“We were one of the highest pressing teams before (Cristiano Ronaldo’s return),” the Norwegian continues, his United structure collapsing once the club sacrificed a crucial cog in the Solskjaer gameplan for an emotional homecoming pursued more with the heart than the head. “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. That makes it easy to set up a team and beat City away from home.
“We let Dan James go when Cristiano entered the team, and the two players are not the same.”
Leeds, Manchester United’s former cross-Pennine rivals, are the ones who are currently profiting from James’ quick acceleration and consistently improved end product.
Where James excelled at Old Trafford in terms of sheer pace, he frequently faltered in execution. The 26-year-old, who was once thought to be somewhat one-dimensional, is now developing a merciless side to his game under Daniel Farke, even if he plays in a lower league. He is becoming one of the Championship’s most versatile forwards.
