James shocked United wanted to sign him

DANIEL James has revealed he couldn’t believe it when United registered their transfer interest in him last summer, but backed himself to get game time at Old Trafford.

After a proposed January 2019 deadline day transfer to Leeds United fell through, the winger returned to Swansea for the rest of the 2018/19 campaign and impressed - prompting interest from the Reds. The Wales international has now lifted the lid on the conversations he had with his agent when they realised United were monitoring him.

James idolised United legend - and his Wales boss - Ryan Giggs as a youngster, and revealed why he couldn’t turn Ole Gunnar Solskjaer down.

“I didn’t really know until April, May, at the end of the season,” James said about United’s interest. “I knew Leeds would still be there in the summer if I wanted to leave Swansea.

“My agent said ‘you’ve got clubs looking at you and United are one’, and I said: ‘no they’re not!’ - to this day I still say to people ‘I’m not a United player’, because it’s weird, when you’re young you aspire to be play at the biggest club in the world.

“It’s crazy the history they’ve got here. I looked up to players like Giggs and the players they’ve had in my position at this club is crazy.

“It was a tricky one as I had other clubs interested in me, not as big as United.

“I wasn’t guaranteed game time anywhere, so why not take this opportunity at the biggest club in the world?

“If it doesn’t work out, I can always go somewhere else. That was my mindset at the time.”