Dan James is about to face some real competition for his place in Leeds United’s starting XI but showed exactly what he can do in the win at Sheffield Wednesday.
James netted Leeds’ second goal of the night in a comfortable 2-0 victory at Hillsborough to help Daniel Farke‘s side on their way to a first three points of the season.
Farke has been crying out for attacking reinforcements in the last few weeks and anyone who comes in is likely to provide James with a real challenge to keep his place.
Leeds have not spent £10 million on Largie Ramazani to sit on the bench and given he is expected to be Crysencio Summerville’s replacement, it surely won’t be long before he’s starting.
Ramazani’s arrival is also expected to be followed by Tottenham Hotspur Manor Solomon, who is set to undergo a medical at Leeds today ahead of a season-long-loan move.
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Beckford says James is ‘learning’ at Leeds
Once Solomon’s arrival is confirmed, only Farke will know what his strongest trio is behind Mateo Joseph, particularly after James and Brenden Aaronson both got on the scoresheet last night.
Wilfried Gnonto also showed how good he will be playing centrally, leaving Farke with an absolute plethora of options to choose from.
Many people would argue that James’ inconsistent end product would make him the first to be dropped once the new signings settle into the squad, but Jermaine Beckford isn’t so sure.
Analysing his goal on Sky Sports post-match, Beckford believes his composure to finish that one-on-one opportunity is evidence of his development as a player, an attribute which has not always been there.
He said: “Do you know what? Something that people have said about Dan James is that he doesn’t slow everything down in the last moments before he is about to cross it, pass it or shoot.
“He did exactly that, so you can see he is learning from Daniel Farke, he is learning from his teammates, and he is becoming more of an experienced pro, the player that Leeds United thought they were signing.”
- READ MORE: Danny Rohl says Sheffield Wednesday could not handle ‘unbelievable’ Leeds United player in 2-0 loss
What is Leeds’ best front four after Solomon arrival?
Solomon’s signing, though a coup at this level, is a strange choice by Leeds considering he is another right-footed winger who prefers playing off the left.
His pedigree would suggest he is too good for this level but whether he actually gets into Leeds’ best team is another question.
With Ramazani having been brought into replace Summerville, he will be Leeds’ new left-winger. Gnonto should start centrally after how he played at Hillsborough.
That leaves Solomon, Aaronson and James fighting for that position on the right, and at the moment, it is probably the latter who gets the nod.
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