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Daniel James during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Newcastle United at Elland Road, Leeds, January 2022.

Comapring Daniel James’ 21-22 stats with Man Utd’s current forwards

Manchester United have a multitude of talented forwards at their disposal but it’s a stretch to say any of them have performed to expectations this season. Yet one that they let go – Daniel James – has been making his mark across the Pennines.

James enjoyed two seasons at Old Trafford before joining Leeds United for £25million last summer. As his former club have struggled with inconsistent performances, the Wales international is starting to come good under Marcelo Bielsa.

In recent weeks, his form has been excellent. The 24-year-old’s perfromance against Aston Villa in particular caught the eye, with two James goals helping Leeds to a 3-3 draw in the Midlands.

Given Manchester United’s current malaise it begs the question: should they have done more to keep hold of the Welsh winger?

We’ve compared James’ numbers for Leeds with the corresponding Premier League output of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Elanga, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo to see how he stacks up United’s existing options.

Note: we’ve not included Donny van de Beek, Anthony Martial or Jesse Lingard due to a lack of Premier League appearances this season.

Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo – 9
Bruno Fernandes – 8
Daniel James – 4
Marcus Rashford – 4
Jadon Sancho – 2
Edinson Cavani – 2
Anthony Elanga – 1

Assists
Bruno Fernandes – 5
Cristiano Ronaldo – 3
Marcus Rashford – 2
Edinson Cavani – 1
Daniel James – 1
Jadon Sancho – 0
Anthony Elanga – 0

Minutes per goal
Cristiano Ronaldo – 184.5
Marcus Rashford – 206.5
Bruno Fernandes – 255.7
Edinson Cavani – 302
Anthony Elanga – 350
Daniel James – 357.3
Jadon Sancho – 600.5

Minutes per goal or assist
Marcus Rashford – 137.6
Cristiano Ronaldo – 138.4
Bruno Fernandes – 157.3
Edinson Cavani – 201.3
Daniel James – 285.8
Anthony Elanga – 350
Jadon Sancho – 600.5

Chances created per 90 mins
Bruno Fernandes – 3.1
Jadon Sancho – 1.9
Marcus Rashford – 1.0
Cristiano Ronaldo – 1.0
Anthony Elanga – 0.8
Daniel James – 0.8
Edinson Cavani – 0.4

Successful dribbles per 90 mins (success rate)
Marcus Rashford – 2.2 (46.8%)
Jadon Sancho – 2.1 (51.2%)
Anthony Elanga – 1.3 (38.2%)
Daniel James – 1.0 (43.5%)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 0.9 (64.2%)
Bruno Fernandes – 0.7 (50%)
Edinson Cavani – 0.6 (100%)

Passes per 90 mins (passing accuracy)
Bruno Fernandes – 53.6 (77.1%)
Jadon Sancho – 45.7 (83.1%)
Anthony Elanga – 30.9 (80%)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 30.1 (80.4%)
Marcus Rashford – 29.7 (74.7%)
Edinson Cavani – 25.5 (77.2%)
Daniel James – 17.0 (72.9%)

Shots per 90 mins (inside the penalty area)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 4.0 (3.2)
Daniel James – 2.5 (1.4)
Edinson Cavani – 2.4 (2.1)
Bruno Fernandes – 2.3 (1.0)
Marcus Rashford – 2.1 (1.6)
Anthony Elanga – 2.1 (1.6)
Jadon Sancho – 1.0 (0.9)


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