Leeds United loanee Brenden Aaronson has opened up on his time in Germany and his future after making a breakthrough at Bundesliga club 1. FC Union Berlin.
Aaronson moved to the German side on loan last summer following on from Leeds United’s relegation, and recently scored an important goal in their 2-1 victory against Werder Bremen.
He has notched up 30 appearances for the club this campaign but mostly as a substitute, averaging just 32 minutes per outing. It comes after a difficult time at Leeds where he started well but then struggled to make any impact despite arriving for £25 million.
During an interview this week in Germany, Aaronson has opened up on his struggles over the last two years and believes he has now turned a corner after his recent goal and performances.
“It’s been tough, it hasn’t been easy. In football you want everything to go according to plan. With how hard I work, I dedicate myself to the game, it’s been tough,” Aaronson admitted.
“I’ve had to be patient and wait for my chance. The last couple weeks, talking with the coach and figuring out what position is best for me has really gone a long way. It’s been a tough year for me but it’s turning around and I’m confident, I feel really positive and I’m in a really good headspace.
“In the past I haven’t been myself because mentally it’s been tough, the position I was playing was tough. Now I’m able to play my position and express myself.”
Will Brenden Aaronson stay at Leeds United?
Aaronson’s time in England was heavily criticised due to his below-par performances, but despite this and his struggles at Leeds, the USA international is due back at Elland Road when this season concludes next month.
“I think there’s a lot of things to take into perspective [when it comes to my future], I always say I always go with my gut,” said Aaronson.
“I had a good feeling about coming to this place [Union Berlin] in the first place, it was slow but it’s turning around.”
Aaronson is still technically under contract at Elland Road until the summer of 2027, with Leeds now in contention for a return to the Premier League going into the final few weeks of the season.
The midfielder is guaranteed to leave Leeds, either on loan or permanently, should they not achieve promotion. If the Whites do gain Premier League status again, it will be interesting to see what the club do with a player who is still young but whose market value is almost now certainly a lot less than £25 million they spent on him.
