Dan James can be a difficult player to get a handle on at times, and his performance during Leeds’ dramatic 3-1 comeback win at Championship title rivals Sheffield United goes a long way to explaining why.
The Welshman’s first-half display was reminiscent of his early days at Elland Road.
He ran down blind allies, lashed shots over the bar, while hitting more dead ends than Taylor Lautner’s acting career post-Twilight. That was, however, until Dan James went from wasteful to game-changer in the blinking of an eye.
Producing a piece of wing-play so 1990s-coded that it would not look out of place in the earliest edition of Premier League Years, Leeds United’s quicksilver number seven skipped down the right, shifted the ball past his marker and hung his cross up at the back post. It was one of those deliveries, as they say, that was just begging to be converted.
And Junior Firpo, thundering into the penalty area at a rate of knots, was only too happy to oblige.
Firpo’s equaliser set the foundations for another comeback win, Ao Tanaka and Joel Piroe scoring twice in the blinking of an eye either side of the 90th minute as Leeds went five point clear at the Championship summit at Bramall Lane.
Dan James alleys injury fears after Leeds beat Sheffield United
Much of the pre-match discussion centred around another Leeds winger.
Daniel Farke confirmed that Manor Solomon was a doubt to face Sheffield United in the Steel City. The Tottenham Hotspur loanee had picked up a knock after a thumping Trai Hume tackle in the 2-1 triumph over Sunderland seven days earlier.
Solomon, fortunately, was fit enough to start. As he has done throughout 2025, the silky wideman was a constant thorn in Eden Hazard’s side, all of Leeds’ best moments until Firpo headed past Michael Cooper coming from him on the left.
But at full-time, as the man lining up on the other flank went about his post-match duties, the conversation with those Sky Sports pundits turned to the ice on his ankle.
Nothing to worry about, James says. Purely precautionary.
“Just normal, yeah,” James said when asked if the strapping was anything to concern a joyous fanbase. “Every pitch is like sand at the moment! [That I’m wearing ice on my foot is] just normal.”
Ethan Ampadu not as fortunate as James as Daniel Farke confirms extent of blow
There was, however, one negative on a night of almost unbridled positivity.
While James allayed fears over his fitness, head coach Daniel Farke was not quite so positive regarding the winger’s fellow Wales international Ethan Ampadu.
Ampadu, Leeds’ captain, was consigned to a seat on the sidelines in the Steel City. Farke admits that was due to a knee injury which will keep the skipper out for at least the next few weeks.
“It is a bit too early to assess it,” Farke said, confirming that this is the opposite knee to the one which forced Ampadu to miss eleven Championship fixtures in October and November.
“Looks like a cartilage injury and looking like he will need surgery. It’s too soon to give a timeframe. It depends on how [the surgery] works. He will definitely not be available for the upcoming weeks. It’s a big blow for us.
“What are the chances of two big injuries in one season [for Ampadu] after not missing a minute last season?”
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