Micah Richards has been speaking on Match of the Day about Leeds United’s Daniel James after his latest impressive performance.
The Wales international was once again handed the task by Marcelo Bielsa of leading the line for Leeds in Patrick Bamford’s continued absence, but unlike in previous games, James made his presence firmly felt, netting two goals.
Has Dan James been a success at Leeds?
Yes!
No!
James, despite spending the majority of his career as a winger, was impressive against Aston Villa last night, with his brace doubling his tally in the league for the season – and could have had a hat-trick as he saw a thunderous effort cannon back out off the crossbar.
Richards was left very impressive by James’ all-around play last night.
Richards said: “He scored two before today’s game, he got another two today and I thought his all-round game was outstanding. We’ve talked a lot about Dan James – at Man United, he used to get into some very good positions and fluff his lines a little bit.
“But I’ve seen a measured, a more composed approach, his runs in behind – as a defender, it’s an absolute nightmare.”
TIF Thoughts on Dan James…
While James was certainly brought in to play as a winger and provide competition and depth alongside the likes of Raphinha and Jack Harrison, he’s been able to utilise his pace and willingness to dribble – having attempted the third-most in the squad – to be an effective forward, especially against Villa. He also pressed the highest amount of times amongst his teammates, racking up an impressive 19 presses.
However, it wasn’t just his willingness to run, but also the desire he showed for his second goal where he got clattered in the head by two Villa players but still managed to score, and that is what will endear him to fans, by putting his body somewhere it could get hurt for the better of the team.
In other news: ‘Great to be back’ – Leeds ace drops exciting Instagram post