Top 44 Daniel James Quotes

I think every kid grows up wanting to play for Manchester United. I never thought I’d be able to play against them, never mind play for them, so it’s surreal, and I’m really looking forward to it.

It’s about concentrating on the football for me.

When I see scarves or shirts, I think: ‘Why have they got my name on? They could have Pogba or Rashford or Lingard.’ When people ask for pictures, I’ll think: ‘You don’t want one of me, you want one with them.’

At the start, when I got to nearly 12 years old, I actually nearly gave up football. I wasn’t enjoying it.

I want to do the best I can when I’m on the pitch.

I moved away to Swansea from Hull when I was 15. It was about four hours away – for some countries that’s not a lot – but I wasn’t able to see my family a lot.

I was training most nights and was missing out. I was coming back from school and wanting to go out with my mates, but I had to go training.

Obviously, I did enjoy my football – it was just that I was missing out with friends. But they are the sacrifices that sometimes you have to make as a footballer, to make it.

Giggsy, as soon as I came into the Wales set-up, had ambitions for me. The way he brought me and a lot of other youngsters through has been amazing. He spoke to me when I first signed for United. His advice was to be myself, which is what I will try to do.

Raheem Sterling. The way he plays is the way I want to be.

I didn’t think I was going to make it as a footballer.

The Premier League is the best league in the world and Manchester United is the perfect place for me to continue to develop as a player.

I think it was the down point in my career. I went to Shrewsbury on loan, I came back within a month and hadn’t played a game – injured and feeling sorry for myself really.

You sometimes go back to your comfort zone when you’re in a bad place, you try and be safe.

It was a tricky one as I had other clubs interested in me, not as big as United. I wasn’t guaranteed game time anywhere, so why not take this opportunity at the biggest club in the world? If it doesn’t work out, I can always go somewhere else. That was my mindset at the time.

Going out at Old Trafford is a massive thing and I can’t let that pressure get to me.

When I’m not playing football, I like to play on my X-Box.

It definitely isn’t true that I supported Liverpool.

I have ambitions to play for the first team. Of course, that is the ultimate goal.

You can score in every game, you can improve and look back on what you can do more.

My agent said ‘you’ve got clubs looking at you and United are one,’ and I said: ‘no they’re not!’

The first games were against Belgium and Switzerland, and that changed me as well because I used to play striker at Hull, and when I went away with Wales, I played as a winger.

It’s important to keep getting back up. It’s part of the game.

Being a winger I’m always going to get fouled but it’s just about how you get on with it. I don’t let it get in my head and just keep going.

Playing three games each week, you are away a lot. So, yeah, moving away from family and friends and being away all the time would have to be my biggest sacrifice.

It is massive progress in the space of a year being a Man United regular and playing for Wales. But things happen so quickly in football you have to be ready for anything.

I think having established myself at Man United so quickly has helped me.

I don’t think you can sum up how it feels, to come on and score on my debut.

I’ve been asking my partner for a dog for a while and she kept saying no. She was obviously keeping it for a birthday surprise, and when I came home from Rotherham, Hugo was sat on the sofa waiting for me. It was a really nice surprise.

Coming out at the Theatre of Dreams is unbelievable. I’ll always love it and never get used to the sound of the fans.

It is a boyhood dream to play for Manchester United. To come here is a bit surreal. You see the number of fans out there and how far some of them have travelled to see. It is going to take a bit of getting used to.

I still don’t believe I’m a Manchester United player, it’s the stuff you dream of.

Man United is my club and I love it there.

When I do play, I give my all.

I watch TV, spend time with my family, chill with the boys and go to the cinema – that sort of thing.

We are Man United – and we don’t go anywhere feeling like we are going to lose.

Whether I’m playing or not I’m proud. I’m as proud to play for Wales as I am Man United, to be there at the club.

If a defender hits you and you stay down he might think he’s got the better of you, so to get up and keep going is important.

It is important in football how you react to things when things aren’t going so well.

Getting the message out there to speak out is huge, and I think you can be the brightest person in the room, but people never know what’s going on really inside and the hardest thing is to speak out. You’ve got to speak out. I think sometimes you maybe hold it all in and it can get too much at times.

When people compare me to Kylian Mbappe, I am not quicker than him.

I did athletics when I was at school. I ran the 100 meters but I got beat once so stopped doing it.

I exchange text messages with Ryan Giggs quite a lot because he was a legend here and someone I see as a big inspiration. Obviously, with him being the manager for Wales he helps me a bit.

Everyone looks up to Lionel Messi, but I think I’ve got to go for Juan Mata. He’s someone that I’ve always looked up to.