Share

United winger James 'a tough cookie' - Giggs

Cape Town - Wales boss Ryan Giggs has dismissed the notion that Manchester United's Daniel James is currently suffering from burnout, saying the winger is "a tough cookie".

Winger James has been a first-team regular since arriving at United from Swansea last summer, featuring 32 times across all competitions to date, which is considerably more than many of the club's supporters would have been expecting when he first joined.

The 22-year-old certainly made a flying start to his United career, scoring three goals in his four Premier League appearances for the club, but the general consensus is that his performance levels have dropped over recent months, with many feeling it could be down to burnout.

That should certainly be a concern for Giggs, who will be hoping to have James fit and firing for this summer's European Championship, but the 46-year-old, himself a former United star, does not feel the talented winger has been overworked.

"Dan has done fantastic. To make that step up to United and to have the start that he did, he's fine," Giggs told the BBC.

When asked if he felt James was suffering from burnout, Giggs added: "No. Dan's a tough cookie, he gets kicked. He's played in the Championship – when you play in the Championship for a couple of seasons you are robust and you are ready for the Premier League."

James was a regular for Wales during their qualification campaign for Euro 2020, playing in all eight of their games and he scored the only goal it what proved to be a pivotal 1-0 win over Slovakia.

The youngster is likely to be one of the first names on Giggs' team-sheet this summer, with Wales set to take on Turkey, Italy and Switzerland in Group A of the tournament.

- TEAMTalk Media

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE