Manchester United have signed winger Dan James from Championship side Swansea City for £15 million.
Manchester United Sign Dan James From Swansea City
We’re delighted to have agreed terms, in principle, with Swansea City for the transfer of Daniel James to #MUFC.
Further details will be revealed in due course.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 7, 2019
Career So Far
James, 21, broke into the Swansea squad in 2016 but this is his first season of regular football after a loan move to Shrewsbury Town didn’t go as planned.
The youngster has been almost ever-present in the Swans team this season, although his first goal didn’t come until November when he bagged the solitary strike in a 4-1 loss to Norwich City.
James really came to prominence earlier in 2019 when he displayed lightning quick pace to score against Brentford in the FA Cup, a game his side went on to win 4-1. He then made his debut for the senior Wales side in March and scored the only goal in their 1-0 win against Slovakia in their European Championships Qualifying group.
Who’d win a race between Daniel James and Kylian Mbappé? ??
There was no stopping the 21-year-old on his way to goal.
Incredible pace! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Ay2aTunUVT
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 17, 2019
What This Means For the Future
James is seen as a hot prospect in the football world and he becomes the first signing of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era at Old Trafford. It’s a far cry from the ‘superstar’ signings of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, but perhaps it’s all part of Solskjaer’s vision for Manchester United.
For James, the move will only work if he is given sufficient playing time. United have a recent history of acquiring these youngsters and not giving them the appearances needed to forge a successful career. Wilfried Zaha got lucky that he was able to go back to Crystal Palace unscathed, but you only need to look at Nick Powell’s seasons in the Championship and League One to see where James could end up.
That was the old regime though. This is Solskjaer’s first signing, but more in a similar vein will give a clearer idea of the Norweigan’s plans for James.
Main Photo