One Leeds United star has suffered a tough international break away from Elland Road, and was slammed by his own national media after another subpar performance which will leave Daniel Farke worried.
Leeds looking to get back to winning ways
After successive draws over the international break, Leeds are looking to get back on the right track as they kick off another week of Championship action against Yorkshire rivals and recently relegated side Sheffield United. Both sides are looking to secure an automatic return to the top flight, and the Blades are the only side in the Championship yet to taste defeat, having won six and drawn three of their opening nine games.
However, thanks to a pre-season points deduction, they are not clear at the top of England’s second tier, but rather level with Sunderland at the summit.
Farke’s side have not had such a strong start to the season, though they remain just three points behind Friday’s opponents after a harder fixture list, a gap that would have been just a single point had Illan Meslier not committed a major blunder in stoppage time to gift Sunderland a point in their last outing.
Now, there is concern about how the Elland Road outfit will cope having lost both Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu to knee injuries in quick succession, before their plan to recruit free agent Cheikhou Kouyate fell through after the 34-year-old failed his medical at Thorp Arch. Meanwhile, it’s not been all rosy for the current Leeds players on international duty.
Forward comes under fire in national media
That comes as USMNT attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson endured a tough night in his most recent outing against Mexico. The 23-year-old was named in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI and played all 90 minutes as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Mexico.
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But his performance was ripped to shreds in the national media, with ESPN and GOAL both handing him a rating of 3/10, the lowest of any player on either side.
ESPN wrote that the youngster “was routinely dispossessed, often looking at the referee from the ground as Mexico went the other way with the ball”, while GOAL reported that “Aaronson’s first-half was about as bad as it could have been” as he was “unable to really handle the physicality, and the refereeing”. The stats make for pretty grim reading too for the Leeds man.
Aaronson’s performance vs Mexico
Minutes played
90
Pass Accuracy
67%
Possession Lost
20
Duel % won
50%
Fouls committed
1
Aaronson is unlikely to be named in Farke’s starting XI against Sheffield United, due to the game starting just 62 hours after the end of USA’s latest defeat.
However, his continued struggles on the biggest stage will come as a concern to Leeds, who count his £45,000 a week salary among their highest earners, but are yet to truly see the rewards on their initial hefty investment.