Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praises his brave little boy, Daniel James

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted he was delighted with the progress made by Daniel James' signing of the summer on Manchester United's pre-season tour of Australia and Japan.

The 21-year-old Welsh international winger arrived from Swansea under a £ 15 million contract earlier this summer and quickly impressed his new manager.

James's speed and pace of work alerted United of his potential, but Solskjaer was delighted with how the youngster reacted to the physical clashes in the recent friendlies against Inter and Tottenham.

He said, "Dan is so fast and it's not easy to fight him.

'I can understand why the players are doing badly against him. He is a good little boy and he jumps, he took a few shots for the tour, but as an old man, I like to see tackles.

"There is no roll, dive or feint. If he stays on the ground, he is injured but he gets up when he just suffered. & # 39;

Competition for positions on United's line of attack remains intense, despite lack of investment in offensive positions so far this summer, with graduates from Mason Greenwood Academy, Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes offering Solskjaer an abundance of options.

"We showed what we were doing during training," said James. 'This top press and try to recover the ball.

"We had opportunities and goals [against Spurs]when we won the ball high and went to the counter, what the gaffer brought. This is his philosophy.

"I would not say I'm surprised [by how I have done] because the director has brought me for a reason.

"My goal is obviously to play but I do not intend to play, we have some incredible players here and even the young people who arrive have done very well. [Greenwood] scored two points, Chongy [Tahith Chong] did very well and Angel [Gomes] Mark [against Spurs].

"It will always be difficult, but the season is long, if it's not the case in the beginning, I just have to keep my time and try to be part of this team.

"Of course, I hope I'll start the first day, but that's not always the case. I started some, but we shared the minutes. I think all positions are still up for grabs.

"Everyone plays well and I hope it will be difficult for him to choose the team."