- Brenden Aaronson was part of a sizable American contingent at Leeds last year
- He was relegated alongside USA teammates Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie
- Can Liverpool challenge for the title? Listen to the debate on It’s All Kicking Off
Brenden Aaronson is not concerned with any Anti-American sentiment that may have formed at Leeds United last season.
With Aaronson, Tyler Adams and an on-loan Weston McKennie in the team – and Jesse Marsch managing (until February) – Leeds had a sizable USA contingent as they were relegated from the Premier League.
And when asked by The Athletic whether he was aware of any tension between the fans and the club’s Americans, he made his thoughts clear.
‘No, I didn’t hear anything about it,’ he said. ‘Excuse my language, but I don’t give a s***. It doesn’t bother me.
‘I don’t really care what other people say. I don’t care if it was an American thing or anything like that. It’s just noise.’
Aaronson started the season off brightly, scoring in a 3-0 win vs. Chelsea, but his performances tailed off as the season went on.
Brenden Aaronson started the season off brightly for Leeds but his performances tailed off
Aaronson was coached by fellow American Jesse Marsch until he was fired in February
USA teammates Weston McKennie and (left) and Tyler Adams were also part of the team
He finished the campaign with one goal and three assists in 36 appearances (28 starts), and lost his place in the starting lineup towards the end of the season.
‘At the end, it was really tough, confidence-wise, to go out there,’ he told The Athletic. ‘I didn’t feel like I was playing my best. I feel like I was letting my team-mates down, I felt like I was letting the fanbase down at times.
‘You’re thinking all the time. You’re not just playing. And I think when I’m playing my best is when I’m enjoying the game and I’m in a flow state. There’s no thinking, there’s just playing and just doing what I feel and that creative side comes out when I’m in the flow.’
Now on loan with the Bundesliga’s Union Berlin, Aaronson is trying to get his career back on track.
Aaronson gives a thumbs up during a Champions League match between Union and Napoli
But when he was sent off from the club’s second match of the season in August, Leeds fans popped up in the replies of the German club’s Twitter account – so incessantly that Union actually posted a retort calling the American a ‘superbly skilled footballer.’
Nonetheless, Aaronson is still owned by Leeds and isn’t ruling out a return to the club.
‘For sure, it’s possible. It’s not done and dusted or anything like that,’ he said.
‘I love the club. I love the guys that I was there with, the connections I made. It was just tough the way it ended.