Daniel Farke has a £25m Leeds United weapon that not many expected to see: View | OneFootball

Brenden Aaronson has started the season well and could be a real weapon for Leeds United.

Leeds United have rectified a shaky opening couple of games, with comfortable victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City.

An opening day 3-3 draw with Portsmouth was symptomatic of Marcelo Bielsa's tenure at the Whites, with both teams taking each other head-on. But, since then, they have found form with three clean sheets in a row, helping produce seven points.

As well as this, Daniel Farke's side have been creating a good number of chances, with their expected goals of 6.7, the third-highest number in the league.

A man who has been pivotal in this resurgence is Brenden Aaronson, who has taken on the number 10 role with open arms following Georginio Rutter's departure.

So far this season, he’s netted two goals in four matches, although he should have had a third after missing a golden opportunity against Portsmouth.

Nonetheless, there’s hope that he can be the game-changer for the Whites in their push for promotion, with the aim of avoiding the lottery of the play-offs come May.

Brenden Aaronson - The forgotten £25 million man

When Leeds signed Aaronson in 2022 for £25 million from Red Bull Salzburg, it looked like a shrewd move that would bolster their chances of maintaining their Premier League status.

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. Despite a strong start to the season, the midfielder's form dipped in a similar vein to Leeds' as come May 2023, they were relegated to the Championship.

The American faced significant criticism for his lack of physicality, as he struggled to cope with the demands of the English game. This led to Jesse Marsch and then Sam Allardyce relegating him to the bench, where he made little impact in the minutes he was afforded.

Following on from that, he spent last season on loan at Union Berlin, where once again he failed to make an impact with just four goal contributions in 38 games. This left him with torrid figures for the past two seasons and left many pondering whether he would get his career back on track.

Now, back at Leeds, he is aiming to do just that, and so far this season he has rewarded the faith placed in him by Farke.

The aim will be to continue this for the rest of the season and if he hits the standards he set at Salzburg, he could be a game-changer for the Whites.

Brenden Aaronson to help Leeds achieve ambitions

Since coming on to net a late equaliser against Portsmouth, the American has started two out of the three games available.

His performances against Hull and Wednesday were indicative of a player who is finding his confidence again, with the performance against the Tigers a particular standout. A decent save from Ivor Pandur denied him a goal, but his two chances created amid a host of nice touches around the area displayed what he is truly about.

With Crysencio Summerville and Rutter having left the club, there will be increased pressure on Leeds' remaining attacking players, who will know they can’t slide under the radar.

Beyond the American, Farke has plenty of other options, so Aaronson cannot take his place for granted.

This pressure should drive him to elevate his performance, and if he maintains his early-season form, we could be discussing him as one of the players of the season come May.

The £25 million price tag will continue to loom large, but the 23-year-old will know with three years left on his deal he still has plenty of time to amend his wrongdoings.