Manchester United

Manchester United's Daniel James 'nearly gave up football at age 12'

By Andrew Sinclair | 18 September 2019

Manchester United winger Daniel James nearly gave up football at the age of 12 after falling out of love with the game. as revealed by a recent interview.

Manchester United winger Daniel James has said that he nearly gave up football at the age of 12 after falling out of love with the game.

The 20-year-old joined the Red Devils from Swansea in the summer, having originally started his footballing career in the Hull City academy, which is where his interest in the sport started to wane.

Speaking to Inside United, James said: "At the start, when I got to nearly 12 years old, I actually nearly gave up football, I wasn't enjoying it.

"I was telling my mum and dad: 'I'd rather be playing other football'. Or I was missing [going] out with my mates.

"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.

"I had a serious meeting with the coaches at Hull [for them] to say: 'No, we think you've got the ability and we want you to stay on here'. Thankfully, from there, I did stay on."

James has hit the ground running since his move to Old Trafford, scoring three times in five Premier League games and also getting his second international goal for Wales.