Manchester United should be excited for the arrival of Daniel James

Man Utd supporters need to appreciate the Daniel James signing for what it is — a move towards a better future.

It wasn’t the symbolic statement of intent most Manchester United fans wanted as their club’s first signing of the summer, but the arrival of Daniel James last week said a lot about the direction the Old Trafford outfit are heading in.

The 21-year-old, signed for £15 million from Swansea City, isn’t an addition for the here and now, but one for the future.

Of course, such is the grave situation Man Utd find themselves in they also need players who will improve their unbalanced, lopsided squad immediately, but there has been a distinct change of tact from a club that in recent years saw itself unashamedly as a Premier League equivalent of the ‘Galacticos.’

Rather than going for the biggest names in the sport, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has instead urged a new approach, with young, largely homegrown, players targeted. On top of James, United are expected to complete the signing of 21-year-old full back Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the coming weeks with 21-year-old Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff also on their radar.

But it is James, an unknown quantity to many, who best epitomizes this new ethos. “Daniel is an exciting young winger with lots of skills, vision, exceptional pace and a good work ethic,” Solskjær said upon his signing. “He had a great season with Swansea and has all the attributes needed to become a Manchester United player. This is the perfect environment for Daniel to continue his development.” Is it, though?

Buying young prospects was once a hallmark of Manchester United as a club. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, they made a habit of poaching the best up and coming talent and raising them to their level. Look at the capture of Wayne Rooney back in 2004 or the signing of a teenage Cristiano Ronaldo the year before.

Wilfried Zaha was one such signing, but his Man Utd career set a different precedent, one that still exists at the club to this day. As a £17 million addition, the winger, then just 20, was meant to represent United’s future. Instead, he was chewed up and spat out at Old Trafford, forced to go elsewhere to resume his upward trajectory.

Indeed, Zaha is now a Premier League star, a talent currently linked with the most elite club in England. It has been suggested that the 26-year-old wants to play for a team in the Champions League and few have doubts that he is good enough for that level. But Zaha’s experience at Man Utd nearly derailed his career.

Some will argue that Zaha simply signed for United at a bad time, right at the point Sir Alex Ferguson retired and David Moyes came in as his under-qualified and woefully out of depth replacement. Others, with good reason, will point out that the Ivory Coast international isn’t the only young player to have been treated this way at Old Trafford in recent years.

Take Adnan Januzaj, for instance. The Belgian had the look of a potential Manchester United superstar when he first burst through but was cast aside almost as quickly as he emerged. Now, Januzaj has become one of the most exciting players in La Liga even if he has never quite managed to live up to his initial billing.

In both instances, Man Utd gave up on a young player before they were even given a chance to prove themselves. There is an impatience ingrained at the club that has made Old Trafford an exceptionally difficult environment for young talent to thrive. It goes against the grain of the storied identity of Manchester United.

If James, Wan-Bissaka, Longstaff and the likes are to succeed at the club, there has to be a change in the culture. Lessons must be learned from the inability to harness players like Zaha and Januzaj otherwise Man Utd’s new transfer market approach will be for nothing. Will James be afforded more patience than Zaha? If not, similar results will be achieved with his signing.