Manchester United’s slow start to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign has cost them ground on Manchester City, who are six points clear already after just four matches.
Erik ten Hag was hoping to build on the momentum gained from a solid debut campaign which saw the Old Trafford side win their first trophy in six years while finishing third in the league and securing Champions League football after a year out of the competition.
Several players have failed to shine this term, including Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, who have netted just once each across the four games thus far, and it’s clear that Ten Hag needs more from his key players.
Another one who has failed to live up to expectations is Jadon Sancho, as the former Borussia Dortmund starlet has struggled during his time in Manchester.
How has Jadon Sancho performed this season?
Since arriving for a fee of £73m during the summer of 2021, Sancho has scored only 12 goals for the club, and it hasn’t quite clicked for him this season either.
He has failed to start any league game so far this term, averaging just 25 minutes of action. During his brief time on the pitch, Sancho has created zero big chances, recorded no shots, and averaged just 0.3 key passes per game.
It’s evident that there is some underlying issue at play here, given the war of words between manager and player but truth be told, the winger has underperformed in a United jersey.
Arriving for an inflated fee obviously makes it worse, yet it isn’t the first time in recent years that a player has arrived at the club following a good spell elsewhere, only to underwhelm across their spell in Manchester, and it is becoming a common theme at Old Trafford. Indeed, step forward Dan James.
How much did Daniel James cost Manchester United?
Having enjoyed a positive stint at the helm upon taking over at United in February 2019, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked to build a team which could once again rule England.
New arrivals that summer included Harry Maguire, joining for £80m alongside Aaron Wan-Bissaka and James, but these signings clearly proved to be a false dawn as United failed to win any trophies that term, finishing third in the Premier League.
Large outlays were spent on all three players, and James was perhaps the most surprising signing, costing the club £22m from Swansea City.
Considering the winger had played just 40 senior games in his career, and none in the top flight indicated that this could be a move which might turn sour relatively quickly, and he lasted just two years at the Red Devils.
How much did Dan James earn at Manchester United?
During his two seasons at United, the Welshman earned £52k-per-week and over the course of his stint, this totalled around £5.4m, which was a staggering amount for someone who managed to make just 74 appearances for the club.
Signed to provide a key attacking outlet from a wide position, James only registered 18 goal contributions – nine goals and nine assists – during these games which cost the club around £3m per goal. Those attacking statistics are alarming indeed, and prove to be worse than the aforementioned Sancho.
It was certainly money wasted by the Red Devils, and he soon moved to Leeds United in 2021, with Solskjaer actually making a profit on the player, moving him on for a fee of £25m, £3m more than they signed him for just two years prior.
How did Dan James perform at Man United?
Due to having minimal senior experience, it appeared as though the manager would use James as a wildcard option, as his pace and creative talents could’ve been excellent tools to terrorise defenders with.
He made 33 league appearances during his maiden campaign, yet failed to really hit the ground running, registering just 0.8 key passes per game, creating six big chances, and managing only 0.6 shots on target per game.
When compared to the whole squad, these figures ranked him 12th, third and fifth, demonstrating that he needed to improve in order to have a more positive impact on the squad.
The following season saw him fail to improve and he ranked in just tenth spot for goals and assists (four), 12th for big chances created (two) and 14th for successful dribbles per game (0.7), clearly proving that the pressures or performing for United were taking its toll, and he couldn’t be relied on to be a player who made a difference.
Joining Leeds looked as though it was a chance for the player to restore his confidence and show United exactly what they were missing, yet it hasn’t quite worked out that way.
What has happened to Dan James?
His spell at the Elland Road outfit has arguably been worse than when he was at Old Trafford, scoring just four goals for the club across 35 matches during the 2021/22 season, and he was even sent off against Chelsea on the last day of the season.
Broadcaster Arlo White criticised James for his sending off, saying: “That's a terrible challenge by Daniel James. Leeds imploding.” Sadly, terrible was a pretty apt way to describe his time with the Red Devils and in Yorkshire.
Having since spent time on loan at Fulham during last term, scoring three times for the Cottagers across 23 matches, James is now back in the Championship, looking to make a solid impression at Leeds as they aim to claim promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
The winger ended up rinsing United for £27.4m during his short-lived spell at the club while certainly proving to be a waste of a signing.
Although Sancho cost more, he arrived with genuine world-class talent and still arguably has the capabilities of succeeding at the club, if he can get his head down and recapture the form he displayed in the Bundesliga.
James on the other hand was a strange signing to begin with and although glimpses of promise were shown during his debut term, the Welshman failed to build on this and the club wasted a significant amount of money across his two-season spell in Manchester.
Ten Hag will be hoping to avoid costly mistakes like this, especially if he is to win more trophies at the helm.
