With the international break over, Daniel Farke should return to Leeds United in a ruthless mood. His side are without a Premier League win in their last six games, but have the chance to put that right on April 13 against rivals Manchester United.
If they are to return to winning ways in stunning fashion, however, then it will have to be without Brenden Aaronson. The attacking midfielder was one of the biggest benefactors when Farke changed his system, but has returned to his struggling form in the last month or so.
It’s not a time for Farke to welcome passengers into his side. Leeds are yet to confirm their Premier League safety, leaving the German with some huge decisions to make.
Why Leeds must drop Brenden Aaronson
If Aaronson was hoping for some international reprieve after his club form dropped away in weeks prior, then he should have looked elsewhere.
He was forced to watch on from the bench as the United States suffered a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Belgium, before playing his part in a 2-0 defeat against Portugal.
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The break did nothing but compile his misery and a return to Yorkshire is likely to do the same if Farke makes what would be a justified decision.
Having initially been involved in five goals in the first 10 Premier League appearances in the new 5-4-1 system, Aaronson has since been involved in none in the last seven.
His influence has completely dropped to the point that he was more of a hindrance than anything against Brentford before the international break.
|
Aaronson vs Brentford |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
68 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Chances Created |
1 |
|
Successful Dribbles |
1 |
|
Duels Won |
4/15 |
The biggest concern is that, unless Aaronson is having a direct influence on Leeds’ goalscoring output, then he’s losing the physical battle at the heart of Farke’s side.
The American simply hasn’t been worth the sacrifice as of late.
Farke must finally turn to the new Rutter at Leeds
With 11 days before Leeds are next in action after already enjoying a two-week break, one man who should be ready to feature is Facundo Buonanotte.
When the Argentine midfielder arrived on loan in January, it felt like a long time coming. Farke had finally got his man. Since then, however, it’s looked as though the Leeds boss was never too keen on him in the first place.
Aaronson’s struggles, combined with the fact that Buonanotte should be more than settled at this stage, should flip the script against Man United.
If those at Elland Road are looking for creativity, then it’s the Brighton & Hove Albion man that they should turn to.
Although Buonanotte has struggled to hit the ground running, Leeds simply need to remember that Georginio Rutter wasn’t exactly quick off the mark, either.
The Frenchman, who became one of the club’s biggest sales in 2024, scored in just one of his first 20 Premier League games at Leeds and failed to score a single goal. It almost mirrors Buonanotte’s situation entirely.
Whilst the Brighton loanee may not receive the same time as Rutter, unless his move is made permanent, Leeds could accelerate the process by throwing him into the side for the rest of the season.
The key difference between Buonanotte and Rutter is also the fact that the former has already shown his quality in the Premier League.
Just last season, the 21-year-old was involved in nine goals in all competitions, even as Leicester City crashed down to the Championship during his loan spell.
To say that he did all he could to keep them up would be an understatement.
|
Buonanotte PL 24/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
1,513 |
|
Goals |
5 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Chances Created P90 |
1.49 |
|
Duels WOn |
7.97 |
The South American not only has the output to match Aaronson, but he’s also far less of a liability physically. At Leicester last season, he won almost eight duels per game. Aaronson, by comparison, won just four against Brentford last time out.
If Leeds are to secure Premier League safety, then taking full advantage of Buonanotte’s loan spell will be key.
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