‘Frightens’… International manager says Leeds United have a player who defenders hate to play against

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Wales manager Rob Page says Leeds United’s Dan James ‘frightens defenders’ with his pace.

Page was speaking to BBC Sport about his array of attacking options ahead of the next international break, where he claimed James, along with Tottenham Hotspur’s Brennan Johnson, are the type of players who defenders hate to play against.

James, Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon have all once again been named in Wales’ squad for the final international fixtures of 2023.

It is a do or die situation for the Leeds trio as they currently sit second in Group D of qualification for next summer’s EUROs, but cannot afford to slip up as Croatia sit level on points with them, with much kinder fixtures.

James was used as an impact substitute in Wales’ last match against Croatia, as he came off the bench with just over half-an-hour to play and made a telling contribution.

Page says Leeds star James ‘frightens defenders’

He provided the assist for Harry Wilson just moments after coming off the bench, and his Wales manager Page believes his pace makes him a nightmare to play against for defenders.

“Brennan is proving at club level that he can play a multitude of positions. It’s a good problem for a manager to have. He adds quality. He’s a different type of player to Kieffer [Moore] as a nine. He’s finding a position that suits him.

We’ve got Kieffer as a nine, but Brennan can play that as well. I like him as a nine purely because of his pace. There is not a defender out there who’s going to want to play against him and DJ [Daniel James] because pace frightens defenders.”

James has been excellent for Leeds in recent weeks but there aren’t many better you can bring off the bench than him when you consider his pace against tiring defenders.

While James again may be reduced to more of an impact role, there is no doubt he will have an important part to player over the next few weeks if Wales are able to qualify.

If Wales do secure their passage to next summer’s EUROs, James, Rodon and Ampadu are all likely to return to Leeds full of confidence, which can only be a good thing.