Unpopular opinion - Daniel James is not very good

TsuWave

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All excuses in the world for this guy :lol: He’s just not good at playing football, that’s all.
 

Cascarino

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There’s difficulties anyway, but he’s not a player made to play a Mourinho side.
 

elmo

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Don't blame him for Ole fecking up the starting 11.

He should be an impact sub to test tired defenders, not breaking down a team who's willing to sit from the start. That's just not his game right now.
 

BenitoSTARR

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I shit you not last night I had to try and convince United Academy that Daniel James wasn’t as good a dribbler as Adama Traore...
 

Roboc7

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He’s an effective player in right circumstances but as soon as Spurs got first goal he was redundant.
 

TMDaines

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Said in August, his scoring three goals from nothing early would be negative long term as he’d become overrated and over-relied upon.
 

PoTMS

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Really, really poor tonight. Should only be used as a sub in the PL from hereon in.
 

OneUnited24

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There’s difficulties anyway, but he’s not a player made to play a Mourinho side.
Completely agree - you saw that so many times today when he had no space to run into. The only time he did he managed to get a cross in (albeit overcooked).

Against teams that play deep we really need to be starting Greenwood
 

Shark

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Rashford wasn't much better tonight, but yeah Dan should be an impact sub, never a starting player.
 

Bebestation

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He dribbles straight forward in a straight line only. He cant cut inward at angles, cant make runs behind, he doesnt look up when he crosses etc.

We play with 2 forwards in a front 3 line up. He plays like a RWB - a better version of Dalot would play there.

Greenwood needs to now start every game there. He has the pace, finishing to cause enough problems and he has broken through to the first team - ole doesnt need to be a daddy and look after him in a slow maturing manner.
 

KjaAnd

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I like him and I think he can be useful in certain games. But I have no idea why Ole thought it would be a good idea with him and AWB on the right side against a team that we knew would park the bus. Both players are very limited technically which is what you need in a game with little space.
 

DWelbz19

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There’s difficulties anyway, but he’s not a player made to play a Mourinho side.
Not a player made to play at the highest level, in general.

Bless him though, he’s a proper trier.
 

DevilRed

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I didn't think he was terrible today, but definitely the final product is lacking. Lets chalk it down to rustiness.

He has alot of potential to be a great player for us. Right now, he is deadly on the counterattack but definitely needs to polish up his finishing/final ball/decision making.

Even if we get Sancho in the summer, Dan James will still be a valuable rotation player for us. Bags of potential.
 

BenitoSTARR

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Play him when a game is getting a bit more open and he’s brilliant.

Stick him against a parked bus and obviously he struggles.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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Shouldn’t be starting games but definitely has a role to play off the bench; if we were 1-0 up with 15-25 minutes to go he’s kill fullbacks like Davies.
 

Canagel

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we actually paid money for this guy. not even a Championship player, forget PL
 

The Original

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I like him and I think he can be useful in certain games. But I have no idea why Ole thought it would be a good idea with him and AWB on the right side against a team that we knew would park the bus. Both players are very limited technically which is what you need in a game with little space.
Seemd to me he decide to simply go with the same formation that worked the last time out.
 

devilish

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If we want to seriously compete for the EPL then James must become a squad player on the left hand side.
 

Flying_Heckfish

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Start Mason from now on, he's leapfrogging him even out of position.

James will still be useful as an impact player from the bench, which I am sure was the original reason we bought him anyway.
 

Jeppers7

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AWB tries to do more offensively, if this lad had a fancy haircut he’d be getting a LOT more stick. Bizarre
 

-Supreme-

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If we want to seriously compete for the EPL then James must become a squad player on the left hand side.
He is a one dimensional player and is much harder to be effective on the right side being a right footed player, particularly when no space is given when the opposition team defends deep with numbers.
 

Thiagoal

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If we’d started Pogba and Bruno I’d kind have understood why Ole would want another hard worker in there- but my oh my he’s very limited!

And actually Mason won the ball back more than James did while been on the pitch for half the time! It’s Greenwood’s time to shine now!
 

OrcaFat

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He’s not bad. But he is inconsistent. When in form he can be useful against any team including bus parkers. Work rate is usually very good.

He won’t turn into Messi but I think he will learn to be more effective more often.

For now, we don’t have obviously better options at the club. When he has a bad game it’s very easy to say he shouldn’t start but a lot of our attackers have regular stinkers.
 

Jaxa

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Great squad option.

But no way he can be a consistent starter.
pretty much this, I do feel due to injuries etc he has been played far too much which has put way too much pressure on him but I am a bit unsure why Ole included him tonight, he was a low cost gamble and as it stands especially if Sancho joins he’s going to have to either be happy to be a squad option or move on, I hope he stays but with the quality emerging in attack he really needs to up his game if he wants to play, Greenwood looked quality when he came on
 

Andycoleno9

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I think that with every game more and more people are seeing that he is Championship quality. No time in the world can't make Man Utd quality winger of him. He is just not talented enough. Technique and skill you have or not have. He doesn't have it.
We took a small risk for 15 mil, it doesn't work. I hope that we will not keep him for years like we do/did with some players. At least we will get back our money.
 

Okey

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Just not good enough I'm afraid. Tries his blessed heart out but a team of United's level need more than that. We'll surely see more of him next season, so if no progress, getting rid would be in order. There'll be games where his limited attributes would be useful, but not that many...
 

SilentWitness

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He didn't play a full professional season until last year at the age of 20/21 in the Championship for a mid table side and has then made the jump to a United side which is trying to qualify for CL and is expected to start every week. The fact that players like Rashford/Greenwood have jumped straight into a side like United at the age they did is a clear indicator of their natural talent and I don't think James is that type of player who has an abundance of natural ability. He has key attributes that are great like Pace but the rest of his game he has had to work really hard to get it to a good level and still needs to work hard to push on whereas other players just have that natural ability in the first place to work around. Bit of perspective is needed. Yes, he's been poor at times but he's also being poorly managed. He really shouldn't be starting every week and is clearly utilised best against teams which you can either counter or are a bit open defensively. Ideally you'll buy another winger and he'll be a good backup player for you that can be used as either an impact sub or against those types of teams.
 

Cascarino

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Not a player made to play at the highest level, in general.

Bless him though, he’s a proper trier.
I would say the same (Assuming highest level means teams like United and not just top flight), but with your track record on predictions I’m second guessing myself;)

He shouldn’t be in the position he is in. He did great in his last season for Swansea but he wasn’t the best player in the team, let alone the championship. And that’s no shame, despite his age he was a late bloomer, that season was his only ever season of professional football. So he plays about 30 games of football in the championship and suddenly he’s starting for Manchester United. I don’t know if that was the original intention of the management team at United, but to me that’s crazy, although I’m just an average Swansea fan (albeit blessed with footballing knowledge, intelligence and looks).

With the toolset he has I can’t see him becoming a starting player at a side like United. After he left Swansea it should have been to a smaller side, either indirectly through loan or a permanent transfer. I think he’ll end up a decent player, depending on progress.

It’s also important to remember that he’s playing on the right. He’s playing at a higher level, in a position he’s not particularly comfortable in. Perspective is needed.

edit : cheers @SilentWitness now my post is redundant and plagiaristic
 

Wicked_Badger

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He’s a young player that’d be a squad player in most other Utd sides. Could definitely be useful in the future, but I don’t expect him to ever be a world beater.

Feel a bit sorry for him really. He‘d usually be the type of guy that was loaned out instead of relied on to gain a us Champions League place.
 

Majima

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He's a limited workhorse that's okay for specific situations like, holding on to a lead or resting your starters in a lower league cup game. He has no business starting a tough away match.

Zero dribbling/link-up skills are horrific for a winger at the top level. You can see the stifling effect it has on Martial & AWB too.

Greenwood should take his minutes from now on, that's for certain. When he came on, we instantly looked levels better.
 

Untd55

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Honestly, he is rubbish. He is quick, but that is all that there is to him. Otherwise, he is completely average.

We really need a proper right-winger.
 

Mainoldo

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In the summer I said he was a waste of 20m we already had Chong. Now look.. we need TWO right wingers in the summer.