Wales boss Ryan Giggs says he hasn't spoken to Daniel James about his current situation at Manchester United and has hinted that the player is not facing up to an imminent exit from Old Trafford.
However, Giggs says the winger has to accept the criticisms that come with playing at an elite level.
James has once again emerged as a transfer target for Leeds United in this window, just over a year after a move to Elland Road sensationally broke down on the final day of the January transfer window.
Speculation around the 22-year old's future at Old Trafford has intensified in recent weeks, with United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking James off halfway through the 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, and leaving him out entirely from the win over over Brighton.
But while Leeds have identified James as their number one target, United are believed to be reluctant to sell unless they can bring another winger on board, with the club continuing their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho. .
Asked if he'd spoken to James about his future, Giggs replied: “No I haven’t because there’s a lot of speculation with a lot of players.
"I don’t really get into conversations until there’s something concrete. So no I haven’t.
"Dan was fantastic for us in the last campaign and I’m sure he’s looking forward to joining up with us again, as he always does.”
Having seemingly slipped behind Mason Greenwood in the pecking order under Solskjaer, James has also seen himself on the end of criticism from fans, but Giggs believes that being in the firing line is simply part and parcel of playing at the top level.
“If you’re at a big club you’re always going to get criticised. It comes with the territory – you have to deal with that," said the Wales manager after calling James into his squad.
"That is something that will always happen. With me, I only talk to him when I feel he needs talking to.
"With me, he was fantastic. He hadn’t played any games, he turned up, was sharp, he’d looked after himself and that will be the case again I’m sure when he turns up on Sunday."
Another player in the Wales camp to have been on the receiving end of criticism is young full-back Neco Williams, who blacked out his social media accounts after being inundated with abuse from fans.
Giggs similarly believes that such treatment is part of a steep, albeit rather unpleasant, learning curve for players at the top level.
"He's at Liverpool, and as I said when you're at a big club you're going to have to take criticism at some point if you set a certain standard, and you drop below it, even for 10 minutes.
"That's something you have to deal with when you're at big clubs.
"But I'm looking forward to working with Neco again. He's great to work with."
