Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to play the out-of-favour Manchester United star has been hailed as a ‘masterstroke’ by Gary Neville.
Going into the game against Leeds United, not many Manchester United fans would have expected them to walk out with a 6-2 win. Marcelo Bielsa’s side might have their weaknesses at the back but they are a good attacking unit.
And with the history that these two sides share, it was expected to be an explosive affair but ended up being pretty one-sided. Braces from Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes and one each from Victor Lindelof and Daniel James.
It was the decision to introduce the out-of-favour James that saw Solskjaer receive praise from Gary Neville. The former Manchester United star was on commentary duty at Old Trafford and as reported by Wales Online, he said:
"“I was surprised when I saw James on the team sheet.“But it looks like a masterstroke from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the amount of space in this game.“It’s been the perfect game for him.”"
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The game really turned out very well set up for the Welsh international. His biggest asset is definitely his blistering pace and he got the opportunity to put that to good use against a Leeds United side that was willing to provide him with space to exploit.
James joined the Red Devils last season and after a brilliant start to life at Old Trafford, he has quickly faded away. So much so that he is pretty much on the periphery of things right now but performances like these will go a long way in making sure that he remains in Solskjaer’s plans.
On the other hand, things are looking up for United. After a disastrous start to their league campaign, they have managed to turn things around. At this point of time, they sit at 3rd with a game in hand, winning which will leave them only two points behind Liverpool. Not something that you would have believed just a month ago but that’s how good the Red Devils have been recently.