Daniel James Says He 'Aspires' to Emulate the Success of Manchester United Legend Ryan Giggs

New signing Daniel James has claimed that he aims to emulate the success of Welsh legend Ryan Giggs at Manchester United. 

James, who was signed for £15m earlier in the window, made his senior debut for Swansea only 17 months ago and his remarkable rise doesn't seem to be letting up. The youngster became Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first signing for the club after a move to Leeds fell through in January. 

Before signing for United, the youngster broke through on the international stage after Wales manager Ryan Giggs put his faith in the winger. And, speaking to the Daily Mail, James was sure to praise the Red Devils legend for giving him a chance.

"Giggsy, as soon as I came into the Wales set-up, had ambitions for me," James claimed. 

"The way he brought me and a lot of other youngsters through has been amazing. He spoke to me when I first signed for United. His advice was to be myself, which is what I will try to do.

"He wasn't a bad player was he? What he did at Manchester United was amazing. Every young winger looks up to a person like him.

"It is amazing for me, when I go away on internationals, to learn from people like him. He is obviously someone I aspire to be like."

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The youngster has set the bar high in terms of what he wants to achieve for United and hopes that he can emulate a career similar to what Giggs accomplished at Old Trafford.

Giggs appeared for the Red Devils a staggering 963 times over a 24 year period, scoring 168 goals in the process. He won 15 trophies for United, including 13 league titles and two Champions League trophies. The Welshman was part of the famous 'Class of 92' that was capped off after the treble-winning season in 1998/99. 

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Whilst emulating a career this good will be a difficult task, James has made a good start to his life with Manchester United and looked sharp during their pre-season game against Perth Glory. 

The 21-year-old will look to get up to speed during United's pre-season tour so that he can hit the ground running once the Premier League campaign begins in August.