Brenden Aaronson could become key weapon for Leeds United after impressing Javi Gracia
Brenden Aaronson could become a key weapon for Leeds United under Javi Gracia.
The 22-year-old joined for a fee of £24.7m during the summer of 2022 from Red Bull Salzburg (Sky Sports), but he hasn’t been able to justify his price tag so far.
The US international is a fantastic talent, and Ian Wright hailed him as an “exciting” player after his performance against Crystal Palace (Premier League Tv Production on Sunday; 10 October).
Jesse Marsch, who knew him very well from his time together at Red Bull, failed to get the best out of him. He managed only one goal and two assists thus far in the league and clearly underperformed.
However, it seems like he has already made a big impression on the new manager.
Gracia told the reporters, as shared by Adam Pope on 27 February, that he was impressed by Aaronson in training, and he thought that the player did well.
Aaronson is a technically gifted player but he has not been properly used by Marsch. He is a versatile player who likes to dribble and pick out smart passes.
However, under Marsch, the style of football was so disjointed, that Aaronson failed to exert his influence properly.
This is something Gracia also needs to work on. Leeds need to slow down a bit when they are in possession and take an extra touch if necessary to find the right pass.
Aaronson will be more effective if that happens. If Leeds can master that over the next few months, they will make better use of their chances, and Aaronson will become more effective in that system.
In other Leeds United news, one of Gracia’s key decisions in his first game shocked a Sky Sports pundit, but it worked.