Brenden Aaronson ultimately would’ve loved to be part of the U.S. men’s national team’s March window, but his absence from the squad could play major dividends for the remainder of his club season.
Aaronson and Leeds United are preparing for Saturday’s return to EFL Championship play against Swansea City. The USMNT midfielder has played a large role for the Yorkshire squad this season, one that has led to Aaronson scoring eight goals in 3,040 minutes of action so far.
Aaronson was not included in Mauricio Pochettino’s 23-player roster for recent CONCACAF Nations League defeats to Panama and Canada. Instead he stayed in England and rested, something that Leeds United manager Daniel Farke believes was a positive thing for his fitness levels.
“He is a player who always gives everything,” Farke said Thursday in his pre-match press conference. “It was beneficial he was left out of the U.S. squad. It was good to let him recharge for a few days because although he has so much energy, even his tank was empty.
“You could feel in the last days in training that he is recharged and looks sharper,” Farke added. “He’s scored many goals and assisted in training a lot. He’s on the up again. We need that for the last eight games.”
Leeds United remain top of the EFL Championship table on 80 points, level with second-place Sheffield United and only two points clear of third-place Burnley. After missing out on Premier League promotion last season, there shouldn’t be any reason why the Lilywhites can’t get over the hump in the coming weeks this spring.
A fresh and rejuvenated Aaronson could be key to Leeds United outlasting the Blades and Clarets to the top spot in England’s second-tier. Farke admitted that Aaronson’s production early in the season was important but also voiced his concern for the attacking midfielder’s recent goal contribution drought.
“I’d say he was outstanding for a pretty long period, chipping in with goals and assists and endless workload,” Farke said.
“[But] you can’t burn the candle from both ends in 46 games. He’s had a more difficult spell, not in terms of his workload for the team because he’s always outstanding in those terms. His end products were really good in the beginning and middle third of the season then it dried up for a few weeks.”
Luckily for Leeds United, they won’t have to play either Sheffield United or Burnley over its final eight league matches and will be at Elland Road for four of those fixtures.
