Leeds United midfielder Weston McKennie has revealed in an interview after making his full Premier League debut that he picked up a 'battle scar' against Manchester United.
McKennie, 24, started the match at Old Trafford three days on from coming on as a substitute against Nottingham Forest to make his Leeds debut during the weekend's 1-0 defeat at the City Ground. The United States international was substituted off in the 90th minute as the visitors held on for a 2-2 draw against United.
Despite only arriving on loan from Italian giants Juventus on January 30, McKennie impressed alongside compatriot Tyler Adams in midfield. Fellow American Brenden Aaronson also featured as a second-half substitute.
READ MORE: United's biggest weakness has been exposed by six members of the dressing room
While Adams and Aaronson are already well up to speed with the English football, having joined during the summer transfer window, McKennie has only now received his 'welcome to the Premier League' moment. The central midfielder had a noticeable limp when walking in to do a post-match interview with the league's Malaysian broadcaster Astro SuperSport, which the interviewer opened by asking the player about.
"I feel fresh and ready to go, full of energy - no, I'm just kidding," McKennie replied. "It's the Premier League; it's what I expected; it's what I wanted. The banter, the hard tackles, the talking back with other players and the arguments with the refs.
"I think it's something that attracts me, draws me to it, and after every game, a player walks away with battle scars, and, fortunately, I walked away with one today (laughs), so it was a good experience." When prompted again, McKennie confirmed that he was OK.
Win a pair of tickets to the Premier League or Women's Super League match of your choosing! Enter below. CLICK HERE
READ NEXT:
