BRENDEN AARONSON believes that training with a psychological coach has given him the necessary balance to restart his Leeds United career.
When Leeds were demoted in 2023, the American international was among numerous veteran players who exercised contract options to go on loan. However, he and Max Wober were the only ones to return for the Championship campaign.
Many supporters are still sceptical about the playmaker, but his manager, Daniel Farke, is not, starting him in the first two league games of the season and starting him in all subsequent ones.
Aaronson scored his sixth goal of the season in Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Oxford United, assisting Jayden Bogle. He then explained how he has strived to get the best out of himself.
“I am someone that puts a lot of pressure on myself,” he told me. “I suppose that is my downfall. I am a perfectionist and strive to be the greatest player I can be.
“But this year, I took my girlfriend (Milana) out with me, and my family came out before Christmas.
“The most important thing for me was that when working with my mental coach, I stopped placing so much pressure on myself and instead went out and played with my instincts and the way I want to play, as a person who wants to be all over the pitch, getting on the ball and creating.
“Being like that and then improving on my finishing in training will result in goals and assists, and I need to keep doing it. I keep trying to be confident in front of the net and take my chances.”
Aaronson returned after a season with Union Berlin, which just avoided relegation from Germany’s Bundesliga by qualifying for the Champions League in 2022-23.
“It wasn’t the easiest situation to come back to,” he told me.
“A lot of people told me that this was the best circumstance, and in my head, I always wanted to come back and prove myself.
“That is who I am, and that is the player I am.
“I wanted to prove to everyone why you got me in the first place, and I will continue to prove myself and improve. This is only the starting point.”
Farke was pleased with Leeds’ final home game in 2024, calling it “a perfect way to start the Festive days, an important win, an impressive scoreline, an impressive performance.”
Dan James scored first, but it took Bogle till the 58th minute to double the lead, following which Leeds dominated with goals from Aaronson and Manor Solomon.
Farke was especially happy for Aaronson, who is 24 years old. “We spoke about his relentless effort and he’s so important for our balance,” he told me.
“He could be a little more clean at times; he’s still a young guy, but his numbers are looking fantastic right now.
“In the first half, he had a few chances, so we told him at halftime to focus on getting his body over the ball. “It was a well-taken goal with a clean first touch and ice-cold finish.”
It’s wonderful for confidence, and every offensive player contributed with assists and goals. It was the correct scoreline.” Leeds are away twice over Christmas week, visiting Stoke City on Boxing Day and Derby County on Sunday.
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