Welsh international James spent two underwhelming years at Old Trafford following a £15m move from Swansea in 2019.
But after several years of struggle at Premier League level, he is now in the form of his life for today's FA Cup opponents Leeds.
The 26-year-old boasts eight goals and five assists for Daniel Farke's promotion-chasers and has muscled his way past £30m-rated Wilfried Gnonto to become an integral part of the Championship's most star-studded frontline.
Renowned as one of the fastest players in the game, James clocked a top speed of 35.39km/h while playing for Wales at the 2022 World Cup just 3km/h less than the average ground speed of Usain Bolt.
And it is Burrows Peterborough's recently-converted left-back who will have the dubious honour of keeping him quiet.
"He's quality, isn't he?" says the 21-year-old, who played as an attacking midfielder or wing-back before slotting into the back four during pre-season.
"I've been a United fan since I was young, so I've seen a lot of him.
"When you look at that Leeds team, he's one of the first names you recognise, just because he's played in the Prem for such a huge club.
"He's really flourishing for Leeds, which is good to see, and it'll be really interesting to test myself against him.
"Before any game, I like to watch clips and do a bit of research on who I'm playing.
That's what I've done with Dan and I'd like to think I know how to battle him.
"My natural game is still very attacking. Hopefully, that means I can keep him pinned at the other end but you've obviously got to be wary of his pace.
“Someone that fast, it is a challenge. You get the wingers who are really quick and you get the ones who are more technical.
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