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2019-20 Performances


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Mystry

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He wasn't great but why were we starting him in that position, after barely playing him since the restart, in a FA cup semi final?

Think its a bit unfair to write him off completely after his first season from the championship though. He could have his uses, just starting against Chelsea right now isn't one of them.
 

Coops73

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Sadly offered nothing. This is the reason we need to sign a top class right winger, I like Mason out there and I’ve kind of thought that maybe going for someone like Sancho was going to harm his development but actually today proved that we need quality.

I like the kid and I hope he can improve, I’m sure he will but I’m not sure he’ll ever be the go to.
 

zenith

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To see the best of him, he needs to play on the left and in a more consistent role. Today was not a day to judge him
 

Lash

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Confidence has never really returned since the start he had. I think his season is done and needs to look to next season or he could quickly turn surplus to requirements.
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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Play him on the left or don't play him at all. He's a one trick pony on the left but even that is useful. On the right he's fecking useless
 

Andycoleno9

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Ole is doing him no favors by playing him as forward. I don't know from where Ole brings that idea. What does he expect that James, player with limited technique can offer there?
 

JoaquinJoaquin

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He doesn't have the quality of a United player at present. Problem is, not sure he ever will as he is so limited technically. The Leeds move probably would of been more his level tbh.
 

Bebestation

Im a doctor btw, my IQ destroys yours
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If we get Sancho - I see no reason to be here.

1. I never believed a squad place is good enough for just a player with pace driving at a tired defensive line. We should be having players who are pacey and technical.

2. Sancho is a right footed LW/RW who is better than James on the right and better than him on the left.

3. He is taking up a vital spot of an extra left footed player to play at RW in comparison to the world class players we have at LW - this would add tactical ability- be that by a further purchase (brooks over James anyday) or if not even gametime for Chong.

4. Our first half of the season was never consistent partly due to a lack of CAM but also having Daniel James as a RW which would stall the best performances of Martial and AWB's attacking abilities because James's game doesn't blend in well with them ( touchline hugging, looks at the ball before crossing instead of the box).
 

kundalini

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Apart from stealing possession once and winning a free-kick, he didn't contribute much. Needs to tighten up his first touch and passing, as too many moves break down as a result.
 

Adisa

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I find it incredibly hard criticising him. The step up has been too big for a player of his ability. Can't remember seeing a United attacker so out of his depth. Hope he improves next season.
Never ask Giggs for his opinion.
 

Nou_Camp99

what would Souness do?
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To be fair he came from the championship and for just 15m quid.

The other 2 big money signings in Maguire n AWB worry me a lot lot more as Dan James clearly isn't up to this standard. It was a relatively low cost and a gamble that doesn't look to have come off. Get over it.

130n on Maguire and AWB is looking like a problem though. Both players in dreadful form.
 

Lay

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It was a punt to sign him. It isn’t currently working out despite a good start. Needs to learn a lot of the fundamentals
 

Dan_F

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To be fair he came from the championship and for just 15m quid.

The other 2 big money signings in Maguire n AWB worry me a lot lot more as Dan James clearly isn't up to this standard. It was a relatively low cost and a gamble that doesn't look to have come off. Get over it.

130n on Maguire and AWB is looking like a problem though. Both players in dreadful form.

The main problem is we can’t afford to make 3 transfers a year and one of them be a punt from the championship. It doesn’t take a genius to see he’s nowhere near the level needed to start so many games for us, so how did Ole or the scouts think he would be able to.
 

Web of Bissaka

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No spaces given and his effectiveness goes down by 80%
Play him on the right and his effectiveness goes down by 60%

How he lasts for 50 mins is just ridiculous.

I don't mind Ole starting him, the idea is clear but then Chelsea decided to set-up differently this time, so Dan is basically useless. Playing with Rash also meant he won't play left at all so we have to question whether Ole knows what he's doing with this player or not.
 

Mcking

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He hasn't done anything that would put him ahead of the likes of Obertan, Bebe, Buttner. He won the lottery.
 

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weso26
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As I have said before, I really believe he is a championship player, and an average one at that. Blistering pace and an odd screamer isn't enough in my opinion. He is too inconsistent and is completely headless. At best, a useful sub to come on when we are already winning to give a proper player a rest.
 

SambaBoy

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You can tell he lacks confidence in his play. He needs to have the right mentality to play for United, he can't let his head drop and go hiding after a poor performance.
 

passing-wind

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I always questioned why James was signed when from his performances @ Swansea he always looked to have poor close control when in possession. I think he needs a system heavy approach where the Instructions on movement cater for his lack of technical ability. Because Solskjaer from my perspective is an average at best coach, I don't see James having a future here when he's going to be consistently required to make things happen for himself.

Harvey Barnes, McNeil and David Brooks are all the more superior players who can occupy his position with a similar rotational role in the team.
 

amolbhatia50k

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The scary part is that he lacks the absolute basics that are required of a PL player and I couldn't even see him starting for plenty of Championship teams. Sometimes you just have to be honest and admit when a player isn't good enough and James blatantly isn't good enough. I have no doubt some defending him in here don't even believe what they're saying.
We need to hold our squad players to standards beyond effort and mentality. I have no doubt that page and effort is why we signed Dan James. Because his technical ability is basic to say the least. But that's fine, because he's a 'good boy' who 'works hard'. Same as Lingard. We need to move past having such a simple barometer as to what works for us in a squad player. People think the likes of Park and Fletcher were just players who put in a shift which is far from the truth. Compared to the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo they may have sometimes seemed limited, but they were generally technically very good footballers. And that's what we need from our squad players too (I know Fletcher did start).

I look at our squad at our backup wingers are Dan James (somehow first choice among backups), Mata (turns 70 soon), Lingard (Yong and learnin) and Chong (bang average). Let's start focusing on quality even in our backups rather than mere running and good mindset being the priority. It'll get us nowhere.
 

amolbhatia50k

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To be fair he came from the championship and for just 15m quid.

The other 2 big money signings in Maguire n AWB worry me a lot lot more as Dan James clearly isn't up to this standard. It was a relatively low cost and a gamble that doesn't look to have come off. Get over it.

130n on Maguire and AWB is looking like a problem though. Both players in dreadful form.
It's not simply about the loss incurred on a signing i.e low risk buy. He's taking up an important place in the squad as the first in the pecking order among backup wingers. Over the course of the season that isn't some sort of pointless role. Neither, I'd argue is being second in that pecking order. Hence, while cost is also important, the players that form part of our squad and them having a certain level of quality is paramount.
 

Revan

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We need to hold our squad players to standards beyond effort and mentality. I have no doubt that page and effort is why we signed Dan James. Because his technical ability is basic to say the least. But that's fine, because he's a 'good boy' who 'works hard'. Same as Lingard. We need to move past having such a simple barometer as to what works for us in a squad player. People think the likes of Park and Fletcher were just players who put in a shift which is far from the truth. Compared to the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo they may have sometimes seemed limited, but they were generally technically very good footballers. And that's what we need from our squad players too (I know Fletcher did start).

I look at our squad at our backup wingers are Dan James (somehow first choice among backups), Mata (turns 70 soon), Lingard (Yong and learnin) and Chong (bang average). Let's start focusing on quality even in our backups rather than mere running and good mindset being the priority. It'll get us nowhere.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
 

Web of Bissaka

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His first 4 games?

He may come good at some point but anyone can. Hes been so poor for nearly the entire season.
Not just that, but also the latter games last year.
Remember the assists to Rashford series of games?
He was also good against Chelsea alongside Martial front two.

Unfortunately that's just one-half of this season. Been terrible overall this year.
 

MikeKing

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It's not simply about the loss incurred on a signing i.e low risk buy. He's taking up an important place in the squad as the first in the pecking order among backup wingers. Over the course of the season that isn't some sort of pointless role. Neither, I'd argue is being second in that pecking order. Hence, while cost is also important, the players that form part of our squad and them having a certain level of quality is paramount.
He has a couple of special qualities which makes him incredibly dangerous winger when on form. He is not a midfielder like Park or Fletcher, he is a winger that provides serious amount of pace. His end product is bad, but for such a young player he isn't a bad footballer either just because he isn't good enough to start for Man Utd. I think he might prove a very useful signing like Park, however in a completely different position, with a different skillset and with a different type of impact. I still think he'll prove useful due to his qualities not because of some made up thing that portrays it like everyone wants to have a team full of Rooneys, Welbeck or Fletchers. Literally nobody is saying that, I don't know why so many people keep saying it like it's a thing.
 

amolbhatia50k

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He has a couple of special qualities which makes him incredibly dangerous winger when on form. He is not a midfielder like Park or Fletcher, he is a winger that provides serious amount of pace. His end product is bad, but for such a young player he isn't a bad footballer either just because he isn't good enough to start for Man Utd. I think he might prove a very useful signing like Park, however in a completely different position, with a different skillset and with a different type of impact. I still think he'll prove useful due to his qualities not because of some made up thing that portrays it like everyone wants to have a team full of Rooneys, Welbeck or Fletchers. Literally nobody is saying that, I don't know why so many people keep saying it like it's a thing.
Running fast without the ball is not a special quality.

Forget comparing specific attributes, your squad players should first and foremost be intelligent and technically strong footballers unless we're suddenly turned into Burnley over night and putting a shift in is the real deal now

I think he's been dreadful now for quite a while, and needs to step up if he wants to remain at this football club. All of this "it's his his first year in the top flight.." business isn't the club's business. We need quality rather than sympathy. Maybe he finds that extra gear which has been lacking due to a lack of confidence but I'm not optimistic. It seems having elite pace has become some sort of saving grace offered to James which gives people a strange kind of hope that you'd never give the likes of Lingard and Periera. I mean, if he was able to ever look rapid on the ball, I could still understand. But he's brittle as feck and frightens no defender at all. So, yeah, he needs to show a lot more - dribbling, intelligence, passing, and just all round quality.

Also why on earth have you lumped Rooney Fletcher and Welbeck together?
 

Squeaky Bumtime

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He needs a run of games, he played too rarely to prove himself. Saying that he is a squad player at best but we cant go on like - we should get rid. We cant get rid of everyone in one move, we need a squad depth and we need to build a team patiently.
 

slored1

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What's happened to him? He was good until December, but he's been playing like a schoolboy for quite some time now.
 

Zoo

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He was playing as a split striker yesterday and Ole has used him mostly on the right when probably his best position is off the left.

I feel a bit sorry for him as he was thrown in at the deep end and not really allowed to take his time and develop his game, I hope next season Ole allows him to do so and doesn't just use him as some tactical weapon in one of his gameplans.
 

Brophs

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He has quite a few very obvious technical limitations but you can’t forget that it’s his first season at this level, one which started only weeks after his father died. It was to be expends that he’d fall away. A guy with his pace and work rate, if he could manage to improve on the ball, might be useful for certain games as a squad player.
 

NinjaFletch

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I know it's become a meme on here to suggest a young player needs a loan, but I'm not really sure what he's currently getting out of how he is being used, and I don't see him getting a huge amount of minutes next season either.

A regular run of football a Premier League side would do him a world of good.
 
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