Pogba thinks Wales have a great chance, reveals James
DANIEL James has revealed his Manchester United teammate Paul Pogba has tipped Wales for great success at Euro 2020.
The pair locked horns in a friendly last week as France defeated Rob Page’s side 3-0 in Nice.
After the game, James and Pogba embraced each other ahead of this summer’s European Championships – with Wales kick-starting their campaign against Switzerland in Azerbaijan on Saturday.
And James has opened up on the conversation he had with 2018 World Cup winner Pogba after last week’s warm-up fixture.
“I spoke to Paul after the game and he said ‘we’ve got a great team and we’ve got a great chance,’ which is always great to hear,” explained the Welsh winger.
“We fully believe in ourselves. We are here for a reason – we are not just here to take part.
“We believe we can go into every game with that winning mentality.”
And on being pictured with Pogba after the match, James commented: “It’s one of those untold photos where we just had a conversation.
“I think we were both laughing but they caught him on the picture where he is not and he is just looking at me strangely.
“I will have to ask him what was going on in that picture!”
James previously admitted he knew the step up he made from Swansea City to Manchester United two years ago would be huge.
The youngster secured a £15m switch from the Liberty Stadium to Old Trafford in the 2019 summer transfer window and has had to overcome some tough spells during his time with the Red Devils so far.
But the 23-year-old believes he is continuing to improve in the Premier League which helps him cope with the added pressure placed on his shoulders on the international stage with Wales.
“I think I like that kind of added pressure. It helps me as a player,” he explained.
“I’ve got to learn with that, I’ve got to deal with situations like that all the time. “Playing in pressurised games always helps but I try not to put too much pressure on myself, in addition.
“I don’t think there’s any need to. “You can let the game can get to you if you put too much pressure on yourself.
“I think there are always stages in your career – if you look at everyone – where you might take that little dip but I’d like to think my all-round game is a lot better now.
“I’ve learnt so much and have been working on most things every day, learning off players in my position and doing the best I can to be ready for tournaments like this. “It’s such a big jump.
“If you look at any career and the progression levels.
“You want to take little steps but I took that big step – it was one I could never turn down – and maybe I played a little bit more than I thought I would the first year.
“I’ve kept learning from that.”