Leeds United journalist Conor McGilligan has commented on a potential ‘big’ issue with rumoured Leeds signing Dan James.
As things stand, it looks as though the Manchester United winger is set to leave his current club and head to Leeds in a deal reportedly worth £25m.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has seemingly pushed James down the pecking order in Manchester, and Leeds are all set to swoop in on transfer deadline day.
However, while talking on a Leeds United Live Facebook video, McGilligan believes that the Welshman may need a little time to get up to speed, and so it might not be an ideal transfer in the short term.
He explained: “I think that the only issue I would say with Dan James is the fact that he’s a project, as opposed to maybe like a Ryan Kent, who would come in and, I feel, fit in straight away. And yeah, it might take him a little bit of time.
“But Daniel James, you feel like he’s had a rough couple of years, really, at Manchester United, and Leeds would maybe need to build him up a little bit again, and we might not see him for a while. So that might be another big problem, because I think Leeds need an impact at this moment right now.”
TIF Thoughts on Dan James and Leeds United…
The Welsh winger was actually Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first signing when he joined the club in 2019 for an initial fee of £15m, plus £3m in add-ons.
However, the 23-year-old hasn’t quite set the world alight since joining the Red Devils, having scored just nine goals in 74 appearances.
With the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial, and a number of other big names rivalling him for minutes, it was never going to be easy for James to star.
At Leeds, though, his competition may not be quite as fierce. If the winger can rediscover the form that impressed so many when he was at Swansea City, perhaps this deal could work out for the best should it be confirmed before the end of the day.