Leeds United’s penalty shootout victory over Fulham in the Carabao Cup was the perfect finish to a ‘whirlwind’ day for Daniel James. The summer signing welcomed the birth of his first child on Tuesday afternoon before travelling down to the capital to start in the third-round tie. James’ partner is understood to have given birth to their baby boy just after midday, and the 23-year-old spent a couple of hours with her before flying down by helicopter to play at Craven Cottage. Speaking in his post-match interview,
Daniel James said: “Thankfully I got to see the birth of my child today plus get to the game tonight. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind day, and one that I’ll always remember.”
Marcelo Bielsa made four changes to the side which drew at Newcastle United in their last outing, but a number of key first-team stars such as Stuart Dallas and Kalvin Phillips were selected against Fulham. The Whites are still looking for their first Premier League victory of the new season following a difficult start to the season, and James’ is confident the sudden-death shootout success will provide momentum ahead of hosting West Ham.
Daniel James added: “We can take this win into Saturday. We’re full of confidence, we’re not worried at all. The manager believes in us as we believe in ourselves, and we’re just looking forward to that game on Saturday.”
