I threw my phone – Daniel James reveals anger at missing out on Leeds move

Daniel James was left angry after missing out on a move to Leeds United prior to his arrival at Manchester United.

Published : May 09, 2020 08:27 IST

Manchester United winger Daniel James joined from Swansea City last summer
Manchester United winger Daniel James joined from Swansea City last summer
lightbox-info

Manchester United winger Daniel James joined from Swansea City last summer

Manchester United attacker Daniel James revealed his anger when a move from Swansea City to Leeds United fell through in "crazy" fashion last year.

James, 22, was on the verge of joining Leeds in January 2019, just months before his switch to Old Trafford.

The 10-time Wales international said he had agreed to head to Leeds before the move fell through as the window closed.

Read: How Liverpool conquered the FIFA Club World Cup

"I got to Elland Road about 6pm, did all the pictures with my shirt, all the interviews, because they wanted it to go out in the morning, and then it was strange," James told former Swansea team-mate Kenji Gorre on the Living The Dream podcast.

"It got to about 9pm and I'd signed all the papers and then it was from club-to-club. I had people texting me saying, 'What's happening?' and I literally didn't know. It wasn't until 15 minutes to go until I thought, 'This might not happen now.'

"I ended up ringing the chairman [of Swansea] to ask him what's happening. It was all a bit crazy and then it wasn't done. I threw my phone.

"I thought it's not real. The chief exec of Leeds wasn't happy at the time, but then it was just a case of driving home. It was a very weird situation and I think it helped me in some ways."

James ended up finishing the season with Swansea before joining Manchester United for a reported £15million in June 2019.

He had scored four goals in 37 games in all competitions for United before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment