Leeds bound Daniel James to catch up  with  Wales friendly

 

Wales have been forced to make alternative travel arrangements for Daniel James to join them in Finland as the Manchester United winger closes in on a move to Leeds.

James, 23, left the Wales squad on Tuesday to undergo a medical at Elland Road ahead of completing a reported £25million transfer plus add-ons.

Wales play Finland in a Helsinki friendly on Wednesday, ahead of 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Estonia, and interim manager Robert Page insists James will rejoin his squad ahead of that game after his transfer is completed.

“He was on camp and I have to be flexible with the players,” Page said at his pre-match press conference.

“I can’t say he can’t leave. We’re still waiting to find out what’s happening with that situation, but he’ll be rejoining the camp and will be in Finland.

“There’s not enough time to get him back into the camp from where he is. So we’ll make other arrangements and the most important thing is he is with us.”

James almost moved to Leeds before joining Manchester United from Swansea in June 2019 for a £15m fee, with a potential £3m in add-ons.

The fleet-footed winger made 74 appearances, scoring nine goals, but his game-time at Old Trafford was due to be severely impacted by the return of Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

“He got his move to Man United, a massive club, and was outstanding probably one of the bright sparks throughout that time they were having,” Page said.

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“What you find with young players, understandably, they go through spells of inconsistency. One minute they can be 10/10 and the next they can be a five or a six.

“He’s been told he can leave and he’s potentially got himself a move to a club that wants him.