Manchester United star Juan Mata has heaped praise on summer signing Daniel James after he scored another goal and picked up the Man of the Match award in yesterday’s 1-1 draw against Southampton.
The Wales international was not the biggest name before he joined Man Utd from Swansea City in the summer, even if he’d shone as a promising young talent in his time in the Championship.
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James has had no troubles at all with making the step up in the Premier League, scoring three times for United already in his first four appearances.
His latest goal against Southampton was a real beauty, with Mata hugely impressed by what the 21-year-old brings to the side with his pace and work rate.
Although it was another disappointing result for United as they only managed a 1-1 draw at the St Mary’s Stadium, James’ performance has to go down as a real positive for the club, and Mata has explained why he’s such a valuable asset to the team already.
“[It was a] very good goal, a fantastic finish. He’s a very hard-working player,” Mata told MUTV, as quoted by the club’s official site.
“He gave us a lot on the wing and even in the second half when everyone was a bit tired, he was still sprinting and giving very dangerous crosses.
“[I’m] very happy for him and hopefully he can do it many more times.
“Football is easier right, if you are that quick? He takes advantage of that.
“He goes one against one and it’s very difficult for a defender to take the ball off him. We need to use him even more.”