Dan James can be a difficult player to read at times, and his performance in Leeds’ stunning 3-1 comeback win over Championship title rivals Sheffield United helps to illustrate why.
The Welshman’s first-half performance was reminiscent of his early career at Elland Road.
He went down blind alleys, fired shots over the bar, and struck more dead ends than Taylor Lautner’s post-Twilight acting career. That is, until Dan James went from wasteful to game-changing in the blink of an eye.
Leeds United’s quicksilver number seven produced wing-play so 1990s-coded that it would not appear out of place in the first edition of Premier League Years, skipping down the right, shifting the ball past his marker, and hanging his cross up at the back post. It was one of those deliveries that begged to be transformed.
Junior Firpo, blasting into the penalty area at breakneck speed, was more than happy to oblige.
Firpo’s equaliser laid the groundwork for another comeback success, with Ao Tanaka and Joel Piroe scoring twice in the blink of an eye either side of the 90th minute, putting Leeds five points clear at the Championship summit at Bramall Lane.
Dan James dismisses injury concerns after Leeds defeated Sheffield United.
Much of the pre-match talk was on another Leeds winger.
Daniel Farke said that Manor Solomon was a doubt to face Sheffield United in the Steel City. The Tottenham Hotspur loanee sustained an injury as a result of a bruising Trai Hume tackle in a 2-1 win over Sunderland seven days prior.
Solomon, thankfully, was fit enough to begin. As he has been throughout 2025, the silky wideman was a constant thorn in Eden Hazard’s side, providing all of Leeds’ best chances until Firpo headed past Michael Cooper from the left.
However, as the player lining up on the opposite flank went about his post-match duties, the topic with those Sky Sports experts shifted to the ice on his ankle.
There’s nothing to worry about, James says. Purely precautionary.
“Just normal, yeah,” James answered when asked if the strapping was anything to worry a jubilant fanbase. “Every pitch looks like sand at the moment! [The fact that I am wearing ice on my foot] is absolutely normal.”
Ethan Ampadu is not as fortunate as James, as Daniel Farke verifies the magnitude of the blow.
There was, however, one downside on a night of nearly unrestrained optimism.
While James assuaged doubts about his health, head coach Daniel Farke was less optimistic about the winger’s fellow Wales international Ethan Ampadu.
Ampadu, Leeds’ captain, was relegated to the bench at the Steel City. Farke acknowledges it was owing to a knee injury, which will keep him out for the next few weeks.
“It is a bit too early to assess it,” Farke remarked, revealing that this is the opposite knee to the one that prompted Ampadu to miss eleven Championship games in October and November.
“It appears that he has had a cartilage damage and will require surgery. It is too early to provide a timeframe. It depends on how [the procedure] goes. He will definitely be unavailable in the following weeks. It’s a huge blow to us.
“What are the chances of two big injuries in one season [for Ampadu] after not missing a minute last season?”
