Leeds United outcast told 'no way back' at Elland Road amid loan struggles

Leeds United outcast Brenden Aaronson has been told there may be no way back for him at Elland Road.

The United States international was a big money signing for the Whites during the summer of 2022 but he failed to live up to expectations despite showing some early promise.  Aaronson found the net in just his third appearance for the club in a 3-0 home win against Chelsea and provided an assist for Luis Sinisterra in a 1-1 draw with Everton just a week later. But that proved to be something of a false dawn as the former RB Salzburg attacking midfielder provided just two more assists and failed to add to his goalscoring tally throughout the remainder of the season as the Whites were relegated into the Championship.

Aaronson had departed on a season-long loan with Bundesliga club Union Berlin by the time Leeds had kicked off life in the Championship under Daniel Farke and has endured a difficult time as his temporary employers struggled to find form in a number of competitions.

After defying the odds by securing a place in the Champions League prior to Aaronson’s arrival, Union exited European football’s premier cup competition at the group stage with just two points from six games and their interest in the DFB Pokal (German Cup) came to an end with a 1-0 defeat against Stuttgart. A return to European competition seems increasingly unlikely as Union sit in mid-table in the Bundesliga following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Heidenheim.

Aaronson has made 27 appearances in all competitions for the German outfit but just seven have come as a starter.  A return of just one goal and no assists has all but ended any hopes of a permanent departure from Leeds - and journalist Dean Jones believes Aaronson may find any return to Elland Road equally difficult.

He told GiveMeSport: “I don’t really see much way back for Aaronson at Leeds.  It is a different setup now, but he had a terrible year last term, and it still seems he just needs to find an environment that suits him.  He’s a good player, and I thought when Leeds signed him that he would do well. It didn’t work out at all, especially towards the back end of last season.”