Leeds United forward Daniel James did not impress journalist Beren Cross in the Whites’ game on Monday night in the capital.
Jesse Marsch’s men were made to settle for a point against Crystal Palace on a night where three points would have been huge in their fight against relegation.
Is James good enough for Leeds?
Yes
No
With maximum points on Marsch’s mind, the American withdrew the Welshman after 59 minutes at Selhurst Park with youngster Sam Greenwood coming on in his place.
James started the game as Leeds’ sole striker but failed to have any impact on the game with 0 shots in almost his hour on the pitch (via SofaScore).
It was certainly a quiet night for the 24-year-old who had just 14 touches of the ball and lost it on seven of those occasions – as well as failing to attempt a single dribble.
Following the full-time whistle in South London, Cross slammed the Welshman in his player ratings with a 3/10 and a damning summary:
“Still hard to see what the gameplan is with the diminutive forward in the frontline. Whatever it is, it’s not getting the best out of him. Another hour of chasing shadows,” wrote Cross.
TIF Thoughts on Cross’ comments…
It has definitely been a difficult campaign for the Leeds winger with just four goals in the Premier League since arriving at Elland Road for a fee believed to be £26.19m.
In James’ defence, it has been a season of unrest at Leeds with a change of manager and injuries riddling their side their main striker, Patrick Bamford, sitting the majority of the campaign on the sidelines.
However, James has failed to step up with the goals in Bamford’s absence despite being played up top as a sole striker for a number of games.
And it is apparent he did not impress Cross nor Marsch at Selhurst Park and we will be interested to see whether the American takes this performance into his team selection for the weekend.
In other news: ‘Marsch is really upset’ – BBC man reveals who left the Leeds United manager furious vs Palace