He's a decent young player that has a great attitude and some excellent qualities that make him a very useful squad player. He's not talented enough to be a long term starting 11 player, but I'd guess that Ole knows that and his long term vision is Rashford - Martial - Greenwood as the front 3. Because Greenwood is just 18 and is having his first season, understandable that James is starting a lot more (especially with regular injuries).
Unpopular opinion - Daniel James is not very good
- Thread starter Josep Dowling
- Start date
Good attitude which is what we need. he’s been easily figured out now. He need to bulk up more over the summer. I think he has the desire and hunger to improve.
He’s a useful squad player in a bad run of form, asked to perform a role he isn’t well suited for. But yeah, when he isn’t at the top of his game, tearing up the opponents with his pace, he doesn’t have much to offer, sadly.
This pretty much sums up the thread. I'll give Solskjaer some leeway here and use the team as a collective, there's not one individual player who has improved fundamentally under our system. Productivity and improvement are two different aspects so if anyone wants to use Rashford as an example it would represent an analogy that lacks depth. Rashford performances hasn't improved he's just more productive upfront. He's now having bad games and getting on the score sheet, whereas beforehand a bad game would be concluded a bad game.
Until I see the first team; playing intricate football, successfully playing through a press consistently, dropping off into space while holding an attacking pattern, using angles to disperse and dispense the opponent's capabilities at ball retention, off the ball movement creating spaces, dynamism down the flanks (not the old knock it past and run routine), fluidity in our phases of play I'll reserve harsh judgement on any developing player.
These are characteristics of a playing environment that will help the likes of Gomes, Gardner (young players) come into the fold. Solskjaer is extremely one dimensional because there are so many ways to implement a stem of attacking ideas into a team, yet we only seem to excel at one which is a transition from back to front counter attack. It's just not good enough, you could probably find that type of coaching instruction in the back of a cereal box.
Everything under Solskjaer since he's been appointed is tailored around individual brilliance. There's no cohesion in our team which is why we are so inconsistent. Stop using youth as an excuse for inconsistency, Martial, Rashford, Shaw, Mctominay, are young in age but proficiently experienced in the league. Only James, Williams Greenwood, Chong, Gomes and Gardner can really be used as an excuse but aside James none of them are first team integral players.
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He s doing fine thanks to our coaching staff. There s a big leap from Championship to premiership and he managed it well.
Yeah. Really makes you think.
James was a lot better Origi for instance. He is good. Not very good yet, but that is not really an unpopular opinion it is just facts.
His regression is mostly down to the poor coaching he is getting at the club. He started well and first 10 games or so was thriving but the total lack of any ability in our coaching staff meant he first remained static rather then pushing on and now is going backwards.
You can ignore the obvious for only so long, its primarily the reason why good players arrive at Utd and regress badly.
You can ignore the obvious for only so long, its primarily the reason why good players arrive at Utd and regress badly.
Can't disagree with the thread title, unfortunately. He's a nice lad and always gives his all, but he isn't good enough.
I think teams are starting to find him out a little which is why there is perhaps a drop off in performances.
He only ever made sense as an impact sub to start with but due to lack of alternatives he has been thrown in and is finding the demands are hard. It’s not surprising, Man UTD is a tough gig in the best of times and he’s made a huge leap up from Swansea.
I think he is a good player but there is a big learning curve for him if he is to be a regular in the future.
He only ever made sense as an impact sub to start with but due to lack of alternatives he has been thrown in and is finding the demands are hard. It’s not surprising, Man UTD is a tough gig in the best of times and he’s made a huge leap up from Swansea.
I think he is a good player but there is a big learning curve for him if he is to be a regular in the future.
Thing is can you see him improving under this manager. Have to say no.
He’s a decent squad player in a squad of 25, much better than the likes of Pereira and Lingard but shouldn’t be a regular first team starter.
He's playing for a dreadful manager and an amateur coaching staff. I think a better manager would help him out.
We've asked a Championship player to step up immediately and be first choice. He is having to learn on the fly, with little to no experience to help him. He doesn't have other players really pushing him for his place in the team either.
Kind of feel sorry for him, he is a talented lad that needed to be protected a little, come in and out of the team. I think Gary Neville was spot on pre-match. James ideally long term will be one of four wingers and provide back up for both flanks.
Kind of feel sorry for him, he is a talented lad that needed to be protected a little, come in and out of the team. I think Gary Neville was spot on pre-match. James ideally long term will be one of four wingers and provide back up for both flanks.
Can’t believe how forumites over here think. We signed DJ based on potential. He showed glimpses of that potential during his first few games. Yes he has been overused and he looks busted - whether it’s because of poor management or being forced to play due to squad depth/injuries is a separate issue. The fact remain is that he has demonstrated potential and he should be given time to develop
Lot of people seem eager to throw this kid under the bus. I just see a kid whose struggling a little now but someone who handles the transition to elite football very well when he first joined. Seems to have a great attitude and I wouldn’t rule out him coming good even as a squad player if that’s what his ultimate level is.
He is young and still learning. It's a shame he had to play so much this season with all the injuries and a minimal squad. I've seen enough that I think he could be top-notch some day. As they say in the coaching world..........you can't teach speed.
We should sign someone like Ziyech and whilst Rashford is injured play a front 3 of
Martial - Greenwood - Ziyech
Instead we will keep Martial central, keep Greenwood on the bench and play 2 from Pereira, Mata and James in the 2 wide positions.
He very much seems like a speedster that has little else to his game , he needs time to develop his game and should be used toward the end of games but unfortunately we dont have a huge amount of choice . To be honest none of last summers signings have been amazing.
He is already 22, not sure he is going to improve enough on the ball
It's been quite routinely reported that we are very interested in starting right winger - Sancho. We might not get him, but last summer there were no other stand out starting quality right wingers available. Should we just not buy someone who would add to our squad and finish the window with only AWB and Maguire? You have to bring in these good squad players when you get the chance.
Took a few people by surprise initially but now he’s looking exactly what should be expected of him, young, raw player with a bit of promise and a lot of pace. Should be coming off the bench and starting cup games but of course we insist on playing him every week (and to be fair, we have feck all options anyway).
The problem with James is being thrown right in at the deep end and is being mismanaged by the club in my opinion. There is no way he should be pushing for 30 / 40 games a season now. He should be learning his trade from a good winger or forward who's best years are behind him. He should be being eased into the squad and team and used as an impact player to stretch the game. He should be starting against the likes of Wolves / Burnley mid-week while the other player gets a rest. The state of our squad at the moment we just cannot afford to do that. We can't take him out of the limelight or give him time to develop on the training pitch as we are racking up 2 games a week. Not surprised one bit how he is playing at present.
The same applies for McTominay as well.
The same applies for McTominay as well.
Just another sign of how far we have fallen. Signing a promising young winger from the championship who should be having cameos off the bench against tiered legs, and yet we have thrown him straight into the first team and are relying on him as our first choice winger. Bar his first few games he has looked clueless but I don’t blame him.
He is fast, but what else is really high class about him?
Sums up my thoughts and I’ve said it consistently since the start of the season. The things he’s lacking are things that I don’t really see being able to massively improve at 22. Could have probably done with a season on loan, but obviously we’re not in a position to do that.
Started brightly, surprising the league but has been too quickly thrust into first team duties due to the clubs inability to strengthen the attack sufficiently.
Like the lad but really shouldn’t be being relied upon to the levels he has.
Like the lad but really shouldn’t be being relied upon to the levels he has.
Bingo! As long as you run alot like a fool you'll be loved by our fans. Forget about having some skill.
He has skill. Not the best dribbler but he can play a fecking great pass/cross, and can finish. He’s still young. I hate our fan base sometimes
He was never expected to be a first team regular. He's been thrust into a role which he isn't ready for yet by piss poor transfers and squad selection.
I know you are referring to the future, but this sounds ridiculously petty. This is a player who looked average in the Championship and most Swansea fans either didn't mind seeing him go or were outright laughing at us for signing him. For him to make the step up into PL football where many bigger names have failed (looking at you Memphis), and contributed as much as he did at the start of the season, that's got to be down to the manager.
His ideal role, would be like Park Ji Sung. A rotation player who can come of the bench and change the game. His pace would be devastating in the 60th minute against tired defenders. He could also start games against lesser opponents. If you intend to contend for multiple titles, depth is necessary.
He's not good enough for Manchester United. He's NOT a teenager.
James mostly gives a 6/10 performance, bog standard average mediocre performance.
In some games he gives a 5/10 performance, SHIT.
Then, when he "plays well", which is defined as "getting a goal or assist", it's a 7/10 performance.
We have another player just like that. LINGARD. He's 27 now.
Is Lingard capable of being a consistent 7/10 with 8/10, 9/10, 10/10 performances mixed in throughout a season?
NO OF COURSE NOT. Because Lingard is SHIT.
Why did we sign a Championship player? Giggs liked him?
Should we also sign Longstaff because Carrick likes him?
Do you all REALLY think we are going to improve by signing players like James and Longstaff?
James was shit again against Liverpool, but that isn't what annoys me. What annoys me is that most United fans still see James as part of the first team in the future. When they are building their team they have James in it. We will never, ever improve with players like Lingard and James.
Rashford is our best forward. What we need to do is get to the point where Rashford is the worst player of our front 3, Martial is on the bench as a squad player and James and Lingard are completely out of the picture.
James mostly gives a 6/10 performance, bog standard average mediocre performance.
In some games he gives a 5/10 performance, SHIT.
Then, when he "plays well", which is defined as "getting a goal or assist", it's a 7/10 performance.
We have another player just like that. LINGARD. He's 27 now.
Is Lingard capable of being a consistent 7/10 with 8/10, 9/10, 10/10 performances mixed in throughout a season?
NO OF COURSE NOT. Because Lingard is SHIT.
Why did we sign a Championship player? Giggs liked him?
Should we also sign Longstaff because Carrick likes him?
Do you all REALLY think we are going to improve by signing players like James and Longstaff?
James was shit again against Liverpool, but that isn't what annoys me. What annoys me is that most United fans still see James as part of the first team in the future. When they are building their team they have James in it. We will never, ever improve with players like Lingard and James.
Rashford is our best forward. What we need to do is get to the point where Rashford is the worst player of our front 3, Martial is on the bench as a squad player and James and Lingard are completely out of the picture.
What did you expect ? Championship level player. Low table PL team at best.
Ok £15m plus add ons, deary me it’s really doesn’t affect my argument that he’s not a very good player.Haven't read through the thread. In fact I read the first line of the first post.
Give over ffs. He's a young player making a huge step up in club and league. He was never meant to play regularly this season, he was always for the future.
Unfortunately with the state of the squad he's been thrusted into a team regularly that isn't cohesive or has any great confidence.
He isn't the finished article but we didn't expect him to be.
Is this forum just going to be about tearing every player in our club apart?
Some people deserve the shite we're watching at the moment. Spoilt cry babies
Give over ffs. He's a young player making a huge step up in club and league. He was never meant to play regularly this season, he was always for the future.
Unfortunately with the state of the squad he's been thrusted into a team regularly that isn't cohesive or has any great confidence.
He isn't the finished article but we didn't expect him to be.
Is this forum just going to be about tearing every player in our club apart?
Some people deserve the shite we're watching at the moment. Spoilt cry babies
You've hit the nail on the head there. His energy would've been a massive asset against tiring defences. He was never expected to be a world beater in his first season and should've been eased in.
The people who deserve the shite are the people who champion mediocrity.
Spot on. The new argument ‘James was bought as a squad player’, why buy him then? Surely you buy better than what you already have?
Given he’s actually a LW and at the time both Martial and Rashford played on that wing why bother buying him in the first place? Go and sort out RW with a player who is good enough for the first 11.
Best signing since RVP. What you talking about
The thing is being 22 is not young In footballing terms. Ronaldo was 22 when he finally started to become a world class player and Rashford is doing the same.
If James was 18 still learning his trade I would have more patience with him but at 22 I would expect more glimpses of brilliance. He offers 5/10 performances pretty much every game.