Brenden Aaronson situation poses threat to ideal Leeds United scenario
Leeds United attacker Brenden Aaronson failed to make it off the bench for the USMNT in their World Cup win over Paraguay.
The former Salzburg star has always split opinions at Elland Road, and yet he has always remained in Daniel Farke's plans.
Aaronson made 37 appearances in the Premier League last campaign, having started 30 of those games.
With nine goal involvements, his contributions were invaluable as the Whites secured safety with relative ease, albeit with his most recent one coming back in April.
Leeds will be looking to make the most of the summer transfer window, and if the chance emerges, they are unlikely to hesistate when it comes to replacing him.
However, their chances of doing so have already been reduced by his absence at the World Cup in the early hours of Saturday morning.
What is the ideal scenario for Leeds?
Even if Aaronson had years left on his deal, he should still be one of the main players they look to upgrade on this summer.
And that is only amplified by the fact that he has just one year left on his contract come the end of June.
This summer is almost certain to be their last chance of cashing in on him, and after a relatively fruitful campaign, his value will be somewhat high.
However, the hope will have been that he could impress at the World Cup and increase that value further, though his absence from the win against Paraguay makes that seem unlikely.
There are several more games in which he can have the desired impact, but the competition has certainly not gone to plan after the first encounter from Leeds' perspective.
Which other Leeds stars are due to compete at the World Cup?
In total, the Whites will have four players at the World Cup this summer, though only Aaronson has had the chance to appear.
Noah Okafor will be a part of the Switzerland squad when they take on Qatar on Saturday night, with Ao Tanaka likely to feature for Japan when they face the Netherlands on Sunday night.
Gabriel Gudmundsson's Sweden due to face Tunisia in the early hours of Monday morning, though illness concerns make it unclear whether he will make the squad.