Daniel James Has Plenty to Offer as Rotation Option for Manchester United

Despite almost signing for them in January 2019 - 'almost' meaning he had literally posed with the shirt - it was Daniel James who popped up to add a misery compiler against Leeds during Manchester United's 6-2 trouncing of Marcelo Bielsa's side.

James added United's fifth and while goalkeeper Illan Meslier arguably should've done better to keep his effort out, the Welshman won't mind considering it was his first Premier League goal since August 2019.

It's exactly that stat that has haunted James and seen him reduced to nothing more than humour for opposition fans and the scapegoat for some United fans when the going gets tough. Granted, there's little in the way of excusing a player who managed to play so much but offer so little last season, but it's short-sighted to put all the blame on James for his downturn in form.

His goal against Leeds was desperately needed and he impressed in general in just his fourth league start of the season, which is key to rebuilding his stock and reminding fans that, actually, he's the ideal player to have in a squad which is so geared towards exciting, counter attacking football.

James enjoyed an electric start to life in Manchester following his £15m move from Swansea. Bagging on his home debut against Chelsea wasn't enough, so he followed it up with goals against Crystal Palace and Southampton. He announced himself quickly as pacy winger with an eye for goal and looked like a bargain, but the goals dried up after a bright start.

Ole Gunner Solskjaer persisted and continued to play the 23-year-old - for lack of a better option, truthfully - which resulted in him being overplayed and misused in his maiden season, going a long way in damaging his reputation from the off. He racked up 46 appearances in all competitions and was continually swapped aimlessly between the left and right flank, which was testament to United's lack of quality in depth, and was further outshone by the emergence of Mason Greenwood as the campaign went on.

He finished the season with four goals and seven assists in total, which isn't too bad a number, but could've been a lot better with some healthy rotation and more consistency within his performances. Not managing a league goal for the rest of the season hurt, however, and not only seemingly killed his confidence, but also resulted in a mass reaction from critics.

People will argue that there's no time for mediocrity at a club as big as United and it's fair. James is still largely inconsistent and is yet to show a genuine improvement from when he signed. While he possesses lightning quick pace and a bullet of a shot from range, it's not a consistent threat and he lacks versatility, the skill to beat a man, and a consistent pass that allows him to find teammates in dangerous areas.

His lack of improvement in these areas is somewhat concerning, but there's plenty of time for those to pick up with experience. What's made these limitations worse is the fact that he was so poorly used last season; James was never the man to come in and fill the gap that a certain Jadon Sancho might have filled should he have signed, but the man to provide strength in numbers and a solid rotation arm.

And while United failed in their pursuit of Sancho again in 2020, signing Edinson Cavani has alleviated depth issues. It means they can deploy Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Greenwood on the wings. Thus, there is less expectation on James meaning he can rebuild his reputation by being an impact player from the bench and in other competitions, with his explosive style of play.

Being able to use the Welshman from the bench is undoubtedly the way to play to his strengths. His pace is lethal and exactly what United need when playing on the counter attack in order to burst past a defence, while his shot could be handy for lack of a better option on the break. It's that explosivity over short periods of a game where James can prove key for the Red Devils under Solskjaer, and something the head coach should call upon throughout the second half of the season as fixture congestion takes its toll.

Daniel James was never signed to be the next major star in world football. That isn't to say he can't play a big part in any potential United success, though; using him correctly as a squad player and getting the best out of his attributes in an attacking side could be key to truly unleashing James, and will go a long way in boosting his stock once again.