Leeds United have managed to put the demons of their relegation campaign swiftly to one side this season, Daniel Farke's side picking up an unbelievable ten wins in all competitions so far in 2024.
The Leeds juggernaut constructed by the German manager in the Elland Road dug-out has resulted in the West Yorkshire giants leaping up to second spot in the Championship recently, capitalising on Southampton showing visible chinks in their armour with two losses in their last three.
It's been a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for many donning the Leeds strip this campaign, none more so than one Whites attacker who found himself loaned out just last season only to come back and emerge as a key first-teamer with Farke at the helm.
What the media first said about Dan James when joining Leeds
Daniel James was arguably a controversial signing at Leeds from the get-go, with the Whites failing to land the Welshman once before in an ill-fated move before finally getting this deal over the line in the summer of 2021.
First Impressions
What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.
Moreover, with his Manchester United connections, the Whites masses were never going to be overly keen on a signing joining from their arch-rivals.
The inflated £25m price-tag above his head didn't help things either, considering James blew hot and cold at Old Trafford throughout his forgettable time with the Red Devils.
James would manage nine goals and nine assists from 74 appearances for the Manchester outfit, with his beginnings at Leeds also following a similar underwhelming trajectory.
During his first season at Elland Road, talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan would blast James' performances by labelling the Leeds number 20 as a "waste of money" – his poor first season in South Yorkshire coming to a head with a red card against Chelsea towards the back-end of the 2021/22 campaign, which resulted in Jordan's angry outburst.
The 5 foot 7 trickster would amass four goals and five assists during his first full campaign with Leeds, shipped out on loan to Fulham the season after owing to his game-time being significantly cut.
This past insecurity over his Leeds future is a far cry from the role he currently possesses in Farke's promotion-chasing side, however, now key to the Whites taking the second tier by storm.
Dan James' season so far with Leeds
The one-time Swansea City man is only two goal contributions this season with Leeds away from eclipsing his entire Red Devils total of goals and assists, accumulating ten goals and six assists from just 29 appearances to date.
Before picking up a recent injury, James was terrorising Championship defences week in, and week out, with the Welshman scoring in three Championship games on the spin in January as Leeds picked up comfortable victories over Birmingham City, Cardiff City and Preston North End.
Described as being "electric" earlier this season by football journalist Sanny Rudravajhala when Leeds beat Plymouth Argyle 2-1 back in November, courtesy of a James strike, it's been a remarkable change of fortunes for the Welsh winger in such a short span of time.
Arguably, it's been an even better redemption story than the one Patrick Bamford has managed to pull off this season – the ageing Leeds striker bagging five goals in quick succession this campaign after being frozen out of the first-team picture.
But, Bamford was a hero for so many seasons at Elland Road before dropping off in form. Whereas, James, on the eve of this campaign, had so much more to prove to the disgruntled Whites masses.
James will aim to battle back from his recently sustained injury and return to the starting lineup very soon, hoping his continued heroics end up in Leeds winning promotion back up to the Premier League come May.
