Manchester United's Daniel James has opened up on the time he almost gave up football as a youngster — because he simply wasn't enjoying it.
The 21-year-old has been a revelation since signing for United from Swansea City in the summer and has become renowned for how he plays with a smile on his face.
He's scored three United goals in four starts since that £15million move, but it was nearly very different as he told the Inside United magazine, reflecting on his first few months as a Red.
Before his time with Swansea, James emerged through the ranks at Hull City, the nearest club to where he grew up in South Cave.
“At the start, when I got to nearly 12 years old, I actually nearly gave up football,” said James. “I wasn’t enjoying it.
“I was telling my mum and dad: ‘I’d rather be playing other football.’ Or I was missing 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’."
James then revealed that he learned to love playing the game and that playing as a winger enhanced his enjoyment of football, a change of position which came about when representing the country of his late father, Kevan.
He's since made a huge name for himself as a speedy winger with an eye for goal.
“Thankfully, from there, I did stay on (at Hull)," he added on what happened after the meeting with his coaches.
"But there were times when I wasn’t enjoying it, but I think as a person I developed a lot, especially when I went to play my first game for Wales when I was 14. 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.
"I think that’s why I’ve come to be a winger now. Otherwise, I think I’d play in a different position.
"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. I know nowadays there’s a lot more.
“I was training three times a week, where most boys now are training every day. That’s the sacrifice you’ve got to make. It is difficult, especially for parents as well.”
