George Overhill

Tue 1 August 2023 17:10, UK

Union Berlin already appear to be encountering some of the same concerns about Brenden Aaronson that arose during his time at Leeds United, according to Kicker.

The German outlet reports on their website (1 August) that after being with his new teammates for two weeks the former Red Bull Salzburg attacker needs to improve the strength of his play.

Kicker‘s report, after noting his eagerness to get forward and play teammates in: “On the other hand, it was also evident that the attacking midfielder, who can also come down the wings, still has to step up a notch in duels and could have problems with the intensity in the Bundesliga.” 

The American international, 22, was one of the earliest departures from Elland Road following relegation, amid a host of low-cost loan exits that have hampered Daniel Farke’s ability to bring in new targets.

So after his debut campaign in England started strongly but trailed off amid struggles to adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League, and general chaos at the club throughout the year, there are early suggestions that he might have difficulty in Germany too.

The club’s managing director of professional football Oliver Ruhnert is quoted by Kicker as saying of Aaronson: “He still has to work on his physicality.”

Familiar

Aaronson clearly has quality as he was a leading performer in the Salzburg side that made an impact on the Champions League two seasons ago to prevent the Austrians from letting him go while Marcelo Bielsa was in charge.

So after Victor Orta spent the whole January window in 2022 chasing him, to the detriment of any other signings, his summer arrival a year ago for almost £25million [Sky Sports] was greeted with a lot of excitement in West Yorkshire.

Unfortunately, like too many of the former sporting director’s moves during his last season with the club, it didn’t pay off despite a good start to the season under Jesse Marsch.

Whether Aaronson needs to bulk up to adapt to the Premier League and Bundesliga, or perhaps would be better suited to somewhere like La Liga, will become clear over the next few seasons of his career.

But after what ultimately proved to be a disappointing time in England he will need to bounce back in Germany and recreate some of his Austrian form.

Otherwise he will faced with a crossroads next summer where it seems unlikely that Leeds United will have major plans for him at Elland Road whether they are promoted or not.

The Whites are surely looking for him to generate a market for his services in a year’s time, and increase his transfer value in the intervening months, so they will want him to adapt physically as much as Union Berlin will otherwise that plan won’t come off.

In other Leeds United news, a transfer update on an attractive striker target has emerged amid competition from two key rivals.