Brenden Aaronson reflects on Leeds United 'ups and downs' and 'great' Sheffield Wednesday moment

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Leeds United’s returning loanee is working his way back into favour among Elland Road regulars.

Brenden Aaronson is relishing the early support from Leeds United fans after kicking off his return to West Yorkshire with the August Player of the Month award.

Aaronson took 28 per cent of the vote from fans, placing him ahead of fellow nominees Mateo Joseph (20%), Junior Firpo (16%) and Pascal Struijk (11%) in the first such poll of the campaign. Two important goals saw the American play his part in a strong start to the season under Daniel Farke, with a late equaliser against Portsmouth preceding his opening of the scoring in a 2-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday.

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Reaction was understandably mixed in the summer after it was confirmed Aaronson would stay at Leeds this season, with the 23-year-old one of several to force a loan exit following relegation from the Premier League in 2023. But the attacking midfielder has done exactly what is needed to start winning back support and was rewarded for his efforts with the August Player of the Month award.

"It feels amazing to have been voted for this award,” Aaronson told LUTV. “To come back and have the start that I've had, it's been a lot of ups and downs, but to come out the other side and feel the way that I've felt, it's been really good. The fans have been behind me, as have my teammates and coaching staff, it's been great.

"For me, I always want to develop as a player. My goal is always to learn, continue to improve and most importantly, be a team player. I'm always trying to make myself and my teammates better. I just want to continue to deliver, have really good performances and to keep the consistency."

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It’s not been a perfect start to the season for Aaronson or Leeds, with the £25million man missing out on almost instant redemption by skewing a glaring chance to win it against Portsmouth on the opening day. But a strong showing off the bench has been followed up and a starting place earned.

And it was from a starting spot that Aaronson was able to double his account for the season at Sheffield Wednesday, playing his part in the build-up to a counter-attack with a great pass to Wilfried Gnonto before following it with a burst forward. Mateo Joseph was fouled in the box but his teammate was in the right place to dink home a lovely opener at Hillsborough.

"I would probably say the goal against Sheffield Wednesday [was a standout moment],” he added. “It was a tough game, a lot of fighting, a lot of lost balls in the beginning, but then to score the goal to calm the game down, felt great and I really liked the goal.

"I think we were unlucky in the first two, three games, but to have the start that we had and then to fight through those moments, I think it's huge for us, and now we're getting better, game in and game out, so we need to keep going."

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