Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch has heaped praise on Brenden Aaronson for what he saw as "one of his best games" for the Whites during their 0-0 draw with Brentford. With just one assist in his last 14 games, the USA international has been the subject of criticism from sections of the fanbase, but Marsch was quick to back the summer signing.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Leeds as they put in a solid performance against Thomas Frank's side. The Bees have proven that they are one of the hardest teams to beat this season, yet Marsch's team matched them toe-to-toe and arguably were the better side over the 90 minutes.
As the minutes ticked on, there were many calls from the Elland Road faithful for Marsch to make changes before it became too late. The first substitution that the American coach made came in the 69th minute, with Aaronson giving way for Luis Sinisterra.
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After the game the Leeds manager explained his reasoning for holding on so long before turning to his bench, as he waxed lyrical over Aaronson's impact on the match.
"I didn’t change early because I felt like we were on top of the match," Marsch explained. "Normally I like to get more, especially when we've got some real weapons on the bench, I'd like to get guys into the game more, give them a chance to go.
"But I just felt like even when we talked about the Georgi [Rutter] sub, I felt Jack [Harrison] and Willy [Gnonto] were playing really well. I thought it wasn't easy to take Rodri [Rodrigo] off the pitch. I thought Brenden [Aaronson] had one of his best games, but I do believe in now putting more energy into the matches and having those guys ready to go."
When probed further on his praise for Aaronson, Marsch revealed that it was both his attitude and approach to the game that impressed him so much.
He added: "I thought he [Aaronson] just looked more confident and more willing to get himself into the attack and a couple of moments early on where he gave balls away a little bit earlier, but then he calmed down into the match and he was in the box a little bit more - almost got of goal in the first half.
"He’s trying to continue with all the good work he does just to continue to push him to be aggressive to get himself in the final third and in dangerous positions."
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