Leeds United went into the international break still leading the Championship table but the automatic promotion race has only gotten tighter. Sheffield United are level on points with the Whites and Burnley are just two points behind them in third. The Whites remain favourites to get promoted but a run of just two wins from their last five games shows that their recent form has been patchy. Daniel Farke’s men need to come out firing at all cylinders after the international break and the Leeds boss needs to reintroduce a player into the starting eleven to reignite the team.
The Leeds United manager is a fan of consistency in selection and likes to trust his players even when they are not playing at their best for a considerable period.
However, even by Farke’s standards, he has been unusually loyal towards Brenden Aaronson who has started the last 36 Championship games for Leeds.
The attacking midfielder has scored once in his last 13 appearances in the league and the last of his two assists this season came before Christmas last year.
However, the Leeds boss got a glimpse of what could happen if he took out Aaronson from the team and introduced a more dynamic player when the American was taken off at half-time in Leeds’ 2-2 draw at Loftus Road on Saturday.
Wilfried Gnonto must start for Leeds United against Swansea after the break
Gnonto lost his place in the starting eleven in December following a sustained run of poor form and his place in the left wing was taken by Manor Solomon.
The Leeds star, who was expected to step up to the plate this season, has been trying to win his place back in the team since then but has struggled to get a look-in.
However, on Saturday, the winger replaced Aaronson in the number 10 role at half-time and he looked so obviously better than the American in that role.
The 21-year-old was much more of an attacking threat than the American and provided more creativity and vision in that number 10 role against QPR.
Even Farke conceded that Gnonto has emerged as an option for the attacking midfielder’s role and could get more games in that position this season.
Starting him should be a no-brainer
Aaronson works hard for the team and covers every blade of grass, which has made him such a key player in the Leeds team this season.
However, at the business end of the season, Leeds would need that extra bit of quality in the final third to unlock teams and score the goals needed to get promoted.
Gnonto has shown that he is more creative and willing to take risks on the ball to unlock defences with his passing and vision from that number 10 role.
Can you name the missing sponsor on these 10 Leeds United shirts?
It seems like a no-brainer that the Italian should start in place for Aaronson in the attacking midfielder’s role once the season resumes after the international break.
Farke loves Aaronson for his work ethic but the Leeds boss must prioritise adding more creativity to his team after the break to get their form back on track.
