Arsenal legend Paul Merson has told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he needs to drop Daniel James from his Manchester United side.
James, a summer signing from Swansea City, hit the ground running after his £15million move and was one of the bright sparks for United in the early stages of the season.
But he has not scored a Premier League goal since August and last delivered an assist against Burnley on December 28.
It has been a tough run for James, who Merson says looked “lost” in Monday’s huge 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
He has been accused of relying only his pace and told he needs to add more tools to his repertoire before being restored to the starting line-up.
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Merson told Sky Sports: “With Manchester United, you’re talking about one of the biggest clubs in the world not having a centre forward.
“They’re playing with Daniel James up front, who sooner or later has to be taken out of the team. You feel sorry for the lad, now. He looks a bit lost if I’m honest – he needs a break.
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“He’s playing all the time but his game is based on sheer pace. It won’t bring you much alone in the Premier League, and I feel for him.
“He needs to be brought out of the team but they’ve haven’t got anyone to bring in for him.”
Merson also felt United’s win “papered over the cracks” as they rode their luck against Frank Lampard’s struggling Blues.
He added: “It was a big win for Manchester United at Chelsea, but they weren’t good.
“They’re two just-above average teams, if I’m being honest. United winning just covers over the cracks, while Chelsea losing means you start seeing the cracks.
“If Chelsea put their chances away in the first half, the game’s over, but they didn’t. Harry Maguire should’ve been sent off and he then scores, so there were a lot of things where you could say with Chelsea they could’ve won the game.”
