Brenden Aaronson has settled seamlessly back into life at Leeds United following his World Cup efforts, according to assistant coach Rene Maric. The American travelled with his national team to Qatar and made four appearances as Gregg Berhalter’s side made it through the group stages before being knocked out by Netherlands in the round of 16.
Unfortunately, unlike his compatriot and United teammate Tyler Adams, Aaronson never started a game at the World Cup, with his game time being restricted to substitute appearances, but he has looked fresh on his return to West Yorkshire. The 22-year-old was given a short break following the tournament and he consequently missed Leeds’ mid-season training camp in Spain.
However, he returned to Thorp Arch in time to play 45 minutes against Real Sociedad last Friday and he started once more against Monaco on Wednesday night. The Whites lost the game 4-2, but Aaronson provided moments of excitement on the ball, popping up in space and attempting to make things happen for Leeds in the first half.
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He was eventually replaced by Darko Gyabi after getting 80 minutes under his belt and as the Premier League restart nears, Maric has been delighted with the way Aaronson has hit the ground running since his return from international duty.
“I mean, he's a great guy,” Maric said following the Whites’ loss to Monaco. “He's training always at a very, very high intensity.
“His numbers in the games, they're mostly public, the physical output he has in the games is the same in training. So he adapted very quickly again, after not playing that much in the World Cup and then having a few days off.
“We’re very happy with the progress he's making towards the return of the Premier League.”
Rasmus Kristensen, who represented Denmark at the World Cup, also started the games against Sociedad and Monaco, but supporters are still waiting to see Adams pull on a Leeds shirt once more.
The midfielder is suspended for the club’s next competitive fixture against Manchester City, but he has returned from the Middle East with a calf knock. His workload is being managed, of course, but the issue is only thought to be a minor one and he could be in contention to feature at Newcastle United on New Year’s Eve.
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