Daniel James interview: 'I started to play safe at Man Utd – and safe is dangerous in the position I play' - Telegraph 7/9/21


Exclusive: After joining Marcelo Bielsa's side over two years after a deal was nearly first struck, Daniel James is ready to repay the faith

James Ducker,

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be the only player in line for a rapturous reception this weekend. Daniel James is the man who made way for Ronaldo at Manchester United but, while his £30 million move to Leeds on deadline day marks a new chapter in his career, the Wales winger could be forgiven for feeling like he is also rolling back the clock in some respects.

It is no exaggeration to say this was a transfer two and a half years in the making and, as James prepares to finally make his Leeds debut against Liverpool at Elland Road on Sunday, 24 hours after Old Trafford welcomes back Ronaldo, excitement about what the future holds is partly informed by what happened in the past.

Barely a fortnight after Marcelo Bielsa’s original attempt to sign James collapsed shortly before the transfer window closed in January 2019, the player was back at Elland Road in Swansea colours and, to this day, he has never forgotten the reception he received from the Leeds faith when substituted in the 68th minute of that Championship match. It has certainly whet his appetite for what may follow.

“Two and a half years ago I nearly signed for the club and a couple of weeks later I played there with Swansea and had goosebumps that day because I’ve never experienced in a game someone chanting an opposition player’s name,” James recalls.

“It was a moment where you’re almost floating above your body and thinking ‘Is this actually happening?’. I remember coming off and getting a bigger applause than when [the Leeds striker] Patrick Bamford came off soon after.

“So going through that, having been on the other team then, it’s going to be great to see what it’s like now I’m actually playing for Leeds. I can’t wait to be at Elland Road.”

To suggest the pursuit of James was an obsession for Bielsa is an understatement. When the Leeds coach held his now famous Spygate press conference in which he spent 66 minutes detailing his analysis techniques in the wake of the storm over a club intern being dispatched to snoop on Derby training, a laptop file bearing James’s name was spotted on the overhead projector screen behind the Argentine. James can have no complaints about not feeling the love from Leeds but, despite being the most expensive signing in their history and an object of Bielsa’s desire for so long, he is not expecting any preferential treatment.

Over the past week, he has been picking the brains of the Leeds forward Tyler Roberts on international duty with Wales, who face Estonia on Wednesday hoping for another vital win just three days after a Gareth Bale hat-trick inspired a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Belarus in the pursuit of a place at next year’s World Cup. He has also been studying the demands Bielsa places on his wide players and hopes the club will be the ideal fit for his playing style. But James - who grew up in the Yorkshire village of South Cave, an hour east of Leeds - is not anticipating the transition to Bielsa-ball to be without its challenges.

“It’s great for him to still believe in me after two and a half years,” he said. “I’ve spoken to Tyler to get a bit of insight and I’m trying to do as much research while I’m away to get an insight into how players in my positions play and what actions they make. I think you always want a little bit of insight before you go in about how things work but everyone knows from the outside that it’s hard work.

“But you’ve seen with the players he’s had over the years how much he’s improved them and that’s the thing I’m looking forward to most - seeing how he sees football. He obviously thinks I can fit in that system.

“But don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m going to walk into that team. Hopefully I can adapt quickly to the system but I think it’s going to take me a little while. It’s very tactical but he’s got a way of playing that I feel suits me.”

It is a challenge you expect James to take in his stride. His affable manner belies a steely determination and any pressures he faces may pale by comparison to the circumstances he was forced to deal with around the time of his move to Old Trafford, aged just 21 and with only a season of senior football at Swansea under his belt.

His father, Kevan, passed away weeks before the transfer was completed in June 2019 but he is never too far from James’ thoughts and it is abundantly clear his dad would be very proud of his son’s involvement in McDonald’s Fun Football sessions.

The initiative encourages boys and girls regardless of ability to give football a try and has so far delivered five million hours of free sessions and pledges to provide a further 1.5 million hours over the next 12 months. “I’d encourage every parent to get their kids to the McDonald’s sessions,” James says. “It’s not about how good you are, it’s about players of all abilities enjoying going out and having fun, making friends and keeping active.”

James’ community work at Swansea earned him recognition and those values as much as his love of football were fostered by his dad, who ran the South Cave Juniors side the future Wales international represented for several years before being snapped up by Hull City.

“When I was at Swansea I won an award for Young Player of the Year but I also won the Community Player of the Year and my dad told me he was more proud of me winning that because it showed the person I am,” James said.

“That will always hit home to me because of the way he said it. ‘It’s not about the football, it’s about the person you are and continue to be. Don’t ever shy away from that, don’t ever let anyone or any experience change you. Just be humble’.”

Old Trafford was an invaluable learning curve for James. He enjoyed a dream start, with three goals in his first four games, and played a key role in some of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s biggest wins as manager, not least against Manchester City, but James felt he became too risk averse towards the end of his first season and the start of last term.

“I think everyone goes through part of their career where you don’t realise something is happening until you look back and have good people around you to analyse that,” he said. “I started thinking, ‘What does he do that I can do?’ rather than thinking just about my game and being myself. It got to the point where I was being a bit safe in games.

“I got bought for my direct play, running in behind, running with the ball, trying things and not being afraid to lose the ball but slowly I started to come away from that and play a little safe.

“When I stepped back it was remembering to be direct, to be that person. Safe is dangerous in the position I play. You’re not there to do that - you’re there to score goals and make assists and run yourself into the ground on and off the ball.”

Leeds fans will hope to see plenty of that.

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