Brenden Aaronson has broken his silence after it was revealed he would be returning to Leeds United next season.
Aaronson has become the first of the infamous loan army to decide to make a second go of it at Elland Road following a spell in the Bundesliga at Union Berlin.
The 23-year-old actually had the option to return to Union on loan for a second time following Leeds’ failure to win promotion, but has instead opted to be part of the squad for next season’s promotion push.
It remains to be seen whether any of the other five opt to follow him back to West Yorkshire, but it is certainly a brave decision by Aaronson amid the animosity that followed all of the loan exits.
He even defied advice from his former manager at both RB Salzburg and Leeds in Jesse Marsch, who had urged him to seek a permanent move away.
Aaronson opens up on talks with family ahead of Leeds decision
As mentioned, Aaronson has spoken in an interview with the Athletic for the first time since it was revealed he would be returning to Leeds, and addressed a range of topics.
He shared exactly what he and Daniel Farke spoke about ahead of his decision, as well as the nutritional programme he was on at Union that saw him gain six pounds of muscle mass.
Given how the last two years have gone for him since joining Leeds, clearly this is a decision that he has not taken lightly.
His family will have undoubtedly played a key role in coming to his final choice and Aaronson has shared how his Grandad reminded him of what he said about Leeds in his first interview upon signing for the club in 2022.
He said: “I said I wanted to be a big Leeds player. My grandpa brought up that quote to me last week, so I was thinking about it again. It stuck with me. That’s what I want to do: I want to go back to the club and do special things.”
Aaronson plays for USA for first time since Leeds decision
Aaronson is part of the USMNT squad at the Copa America this summer and was in action for the first time since making his decision last night.
He was a 75th minute substitute as USA picked up an impressive draw against one of the tournament’s favourites Brazil.
And the US media’s verdict on his display should certainly offer some encouragement about what he can offer next season, considering who he was up against.
He said: “Almost had a winner in the match but was denied by Alisson from close range. Just the kind of performance that you want coming off the bench.”