Daniel James: Leeds sign Wales winger from Manchester United - BBC Sport
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Daniel James: Leeds sign Wales winger from Manchester United

Last updated on .From the section Leeds Unitedcomments712

Leeds have signed Daniel James from Manchester United for a fee believed to be £25m, more than two years after he almost joined the club on loan.

The 23-year-old Wales winger has signed a five-year contract.

Leeds have kept a close eye on James ever since his move to Elland Road from Swansea collapsed in January 2019, with him moving to Old Trafford that summer.

"For me and my football career this is completely the right decision," James told Sky Sports.

"I had an unbelievable time [at Manchester United]. I made great friends, the staff and fans were amazing to me. It is my time to move on career wise. I am just looking forward to it.

"I am a different player. I had maybe only played half a season the last time I nearly signed here. I have games under my belt at the top level and feel I can add something here."

James scored nine goals in 74 appearances for the Red Devils, the last of which was in Sunday's 1-0 win at Wolves.

He was facing an uncertain future at Manchester United, with fellow forward Cristiano Ronaldo returning to the club that he left in 2009.

He has 24 caps for Wales and is part of their squad that will play Finland in an international friendly on Wednesday before a World Cup qualifier double-header against Belarus and Estonia.

James becomes Leeds' eighth signing of the summer transfer window and will wear the number 20 shirt.

"The football department have been monitoring Daniel for a number of years and every member of my team has worked hard to get this deal over the line," Leeds director of football Victor Orta told the club website.

"It is no secret that Daniel is a player we have been keen to acquire for a number of years and today we achieved our goal.

"As a player we feel Daniel is an excellent fit for a Marcelo Bielsa team, he is quick, direct and works hard - we look forward to him joining up with the squad, finally!"

Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

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712 comments

  • Comment posted by smithyg, at 16:56 31 Aug 2021

    Sad to see Dan leave, plenty in the utd squad who should go before him. Started well at utd when he played on his preferred left side, form faded when moved out to the right. Always worked hard and gave 100%, tracked back and defended well too. Ole could have got a lot more out of him. Fantastic signing for Leeds, i really hope he succeeds and shows utd they made a mistake letting him go.

    • Reply posted by Blackhawk87, at 17:08 31 Aug 2021

      Blackhawk87 replied:
      I agree over used for the first 6 months didn't have time to bed in plus he lost his dad.

  • Comment posted by M ALLAN, at 17:14 31 Aug 2021

    I get the feeling reading some of these comments that the rational Man U fans liked him and are sorry he’s left.

    • Reply posted by Shaky Shearers, at 17:17 31 Aug 2021

      Shaky Shearers replied:
      Truth.

  • Comment posted by KevinMcCabe7, at 17:07 31 Aug 2021

    Good luck Dan James! He was always the perfect professional and was one of the few players that never sleepwalked through any of our games. Best of luck at Leeds!

    • Reply posted by andy, at 17:31 31 Aug 2021

      andy replied:
      Unlike Martial

  • Comment posted by AndyH91, at 17:02 31 Aug 2021

    Good luck to him. Shame he didn't work at United, probably not quite at the right level for us but maybe by playing regularly elsewhere (and for a top manager in Bielsa) he will be a great player in the future. Better for his career to go now than hardly ever play and stagnate, such as Jones, Pereira and a few others.

    • Reply posted by D1710589738878, at 17:08 31 Aug 2021

      D1710589738878 replied:
      He's a level below United?

      Should he be playing in the Europa Conference league? 😱

  • Comment posted by Evanhelpus, at 17:10 31 Aug 2021

    As a Leeds fan and reading the comments it didn't surprise me to see the obvious animosity between both sets of fans but let's give the lad a chance.

    • Reply posted by Viva Espana, at 18:15 31 Aug 2021

      Viva Espana replied:
      Seems like a big fee for him. To put it in context, that's the equivalent of more than 83 million Freddos.

  • Comment posted by RedDevilMatt, at 16:57 31 Aug 2021

    Seriously though, its a shame his appearances would likely have been very limited after the return of Ronaldo. Dan made more appearances when he first joined United that probably he was originally signed for due to the lack of strikers at the club - but he scored some great goals and never let us down. Would have been great to see him develop as a true United winger...but he may return one day ??!

    • Reply posted by Blackhawk87, at 17:06 31 Aug 2021

      Blackhawk87 replied:
      I don't think any young player has developed under OGS. They never utilised his pace fully. I think he'll be under a great coach who will improve his end product.

  • Comment posted by finnharpsman, at 17:17 31 Aug 2021

    I am sorry to see him leave Manchester. I would much preferred for Jesse Lingaard to have left than Dan James.

    • Reply posted by twentytimes, at 18:18 31 Aug 2021

      twentytimes replied:
      yeah he should go to west ham but they are skin flints
      he will never make the mark at united

  • Comment posted by Mike, at 17:11 31 Aug 2021

    Refusing to accept a poor deal in January, selling for his true value in the summer, AND ensuring a piece of the pie if sold on. All proof that Huw Jenkins was the last board member at Swansea City FC that knew what he was doing.

    Good luck to Dan James and Leeds.

    • Reply posted by 00 des ___license to work til i drop, at 17:28 31 Aug 2021

      00 des ___license to work til i drop replied:
      If Huw Jenkins knew what he was doing Swansea fans wouldn't have been stuck with a pair of parasitic carpetbaggers as current owners.

  • Comment posted by Gild-Ath, at 17:04 31 Aug 2021

    Good luck Daniel. MUFC

  • Comment posted by M ALLAN, at 17:07 31 Aug 2021

    Think he will learn a little bit more from Bielsa than Solskjaer.
    Let’s see how well he does.

    • Reply posted by D1710901534647, at 17:13 31 Aug 2021

      D1710901534647 replied:
      There's a reason Solskjaer is the Man Utd manager and Bielsa is the Leeds manager. And no, it's not just because Solskjaer is a former player - with that logic, most clubs would currently be managed by former players but that is far from the case. Solskjaer is sensational. OLE'S AT THE WHEEL!

  • Comment posted by Bruno, at 17:32 31 Aug 2021

    Are Liverpool fans going to troll every other teams comments boards because they cannot actually do any business themselves.

    Oh and just to predict the future comments, I fully acknowledge that you have tied down several players to new contracts, so that’s like 2 x £50m signings right?

    • Reply posted by twentytimes, at 18:21 31 Aug 2021

      twentytimes replied:
      cant stop laffin nice one dude

  • Comment posted by D1679061216835, at 17:10 31 Aug 2021

    Good luck Dan! Hope it works out for you 👍

  • Comment posted by whosdatdandare, at 17:26 31 Aug 2021

    Good luck to Dan James at Leeds, I hope he does well.
    I just feel OGS and the club missed an opportunity by not offering Fred too and lowering the asking price to £15M

    • Reply posted by krishnan2784, at 17:39 31 Aug 2021

      krishnan2784 replied:
      I’m looking forward to seeing Ronaldo ripping into Fred during a match for poor defensive cover.

  • Comment posted by King of the Terriers, at 17:11 31 Aug 2021

    Sorry to see him go. He takes a lot of flack from supposed UTD fans, but stepped in for Ole on numerous occasions when the team was struggling and helped get our results back on track by working hard for the team. Good luck DJ.

  • Comment posted by LUFCAT, at 17:31 31 Aug 2021

    Welcome to Elland Road Daniel. Bielsa and his staff will make you a better player if you put the graft in.

  • Comment posted by misterP, at 17:36 31 Aug 2021

    At Manchester United we have an abundance of good attacking players so it makes sense to let one or two go. I hope James flourishes at Leeds.

    Any chance they can take Fred as well?

    • Reply posted by twentytimes, at 18:25 31 Aug 2021

      twentytimes replied:
      we offered them Fred for free and Bielsa said if he comes for free the deal is off!

  • Comment posted by Home BBC, at 16:58 31 Aug 2021

    Probably wanted to win something

    • Reply posted by twentytimes, at 18:24 31 Aug 2021

      twentytimes replied:
      well it deffo aint happening at weeds fella

  • Comment posted by henrikherrmann, at 16:57 31 Aug 2021

    Slowly getting such players is what Leeds needs to do to go to the next level reached last year. neutral fan.

    • Reply posted by LAMPO57, at 17:13 31 Aug 2021

      LAMPO57 replied:
      So , Dan James will help Leeds reach the next level, that they achieved last season, is that right ?

  • Comment posted by M ALLAN, at 17:03 31 Aug 2021

    Good value when he’s 25 in 2 years and Ronaldo is 39.

    • Reply posted by liverpool supporter right here, at 17:09 31 Aug 2021

      liverpool supporter right here replied:
      I think Ronaldo is a little bit younger than thirty nine. But he is no spring chicken either. And he will get a shock when he starts working under Ole and will realise the bloke is useless

  • Comment posted by éarl, at 17:25 31 Aug 2021

    Hopefully Bielsa will improve him further as he has with so many other players. Could turn out to be an excellent signing.

    • Reply posted by twentytimes, at 18:26 31 Aug 2021

      twentytimes replied:
      well hes found his level now on par with the swans

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