Manchester United continue to struggle to get the best out of Daniel James, with the Wales international seeing his form plummet in 2020.
Signed from Swansea City in the summer of 2019, James quickly made an impression in the Premier League, scoring in three of his first four appearances in the top flight.
With the last of those goals coming in August, James' main contribution was then assists as he contributed five over the course of the next four months — an improvement on his scoring output but still below par for a United wniger.
The issues came to a head at the turn of the year, with James not directly contributing to a goal in any competition since December last year: zero goals, zero assists.
His opportunities have decreased slightly but he still features semi-regularly in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. Since his last assist in the Premier League victory against Burnley on December 28th, James has made 24 appearances across all competitions.
Clearly, something needs to change and, following the goalless draw against Chelsea, many fans took to social media to suggest a loan away would be the best move.
This could be the best approach for all parties to solve the issue and United should learn from the mistakes made by Premier League rivals Arsenal in similar scenarios.
In recent years the Gunners have also seen young players quickly make a positive impression in the first team before their performances dipped.
Alex Iwobi clocked up 100 Premier League appearances for the north London side by the age of 23 before moving to Everton last summer, following his own dip in form, having scored just 11 goals in those league appearances.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, meanwhile, broke through as a right-winger but made no secret of his desire to be a central midfielder — an opportunity that never really arose for him at the club, eventually resulting in a transfer to Liverpool, where he has since won the Champions League and Premier League.
There are also examples in their current squad. Hector Bellerin made his breakthrough when Mathieu Debuchy was injured and has been first-choice right-back ever since, though he has struggled with injury and form issues.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who recently earned his first England cap, is in a similar situation to the one Oxlade-Chamberlain was in, harbouring hopes of being a central midfielder but getting the majority of his chances in a wider position — as a full-back in this instance.
Those players were arguably given the responsibility of being first-team regulars too soon, stripping them of crucial development time that could have benefitted both club and player in the long-term.
Had they gone out on loan, getting experience in a less-pressurised environment or in their favoured position, the outcomes could have been much different.
United, therefore, should look at this evidence and go down a different route with James by sending him out on loan in January, either to a high-tier Championship club or a low-end Premier League side.
If that happens, James might rediscover the confidence that he displayed when he first arrived at Old Trafford.
