Football League World
·22 October 2024
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·22 October 2024
FLW's Whites fan pundit thinks Brenden Aaronson should be rested for the visit of Watford on Tuesday night
This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been told to give attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson a rest for the visit of Watford on Tuesday evening, with either Dan James or Manor Solomon mooted to take his place in the starting eleven.
Leeds secured a vital win over Sheffield United in the early race for the automatic promotion spots last Friday night, as they dispatched the Blades thanks to goals from Pascal Struijk and Mateo Joseph.
The Whites now sit in third place ahead of a clash against the seventh-placed Hornets at Elland Road in midweek, and while Daniel Farke may not want to make many changes to a winning team, he could be tempted to switch things up in attack with some great depth to call upon if he feels a change is needed.
Brenden Aaronson's Leeds revival has been quite remarkable this season, as he has restored his reputation from being a widely disliked figure among Whites fans, to one of the first names on Farke's team sheet.
The USA international has featured in all 10 of their league games so far this term, with eight starts, two goals and an assist to his name, and not only has he been a mainstay for Leeds, but he also played 168 minutes across two games for his country in North America last week.
As a result, Whites fan pundit Kris Smith has urged boss Farke to make one change from the win against their Yorkshire rivals for the visit of Watford - Aaronson to drop out for either Dan James or Manor Solomon.
"The performance against Sheffield United had everything, in my opinion, and in an ideal world you would go into the Watford game by not changing a thing," Kris told FLW.
"I just don’t think that’s realistic in the Championship when the fixtures come so thick and fast.
"For that reason, I think Daniel Farke does need to rotate. (He doesn’t need to) make too many changes, but there are definitely a few players that could come out and just be rested, rather than dropped.
"One player that I think would benefit from a rest is Brenden Aaronson.
"Thankfully, Leeds have more than enough depth in attacking midfield to suggest that, if one of these players are not fit, they can sit out, and we would still look good without them.
"That probably would lead to Willy Gnonto moving more in-field to play as a number ten in a central role, and it opens the door for Dan James to come back into the starting lineup after injury, as he looked sharp against Sheffield United.
"Even Manor Solomon (could start). (He is) another player that, on his day, probably gets into most other teams in the Championship.
"That sort of depth means that we can afford to rest players like Aaronson.
"After being on international duty with the USA last week, I do think it is about time that we gave him a rest and kept him fresh, because we’ve got a lot of fixtures coming up and a good chance to build up a run here."
While it certainly seems likely that Farke could give Aaronson a break on Tuesday night, he will certainly not worry about his potential replacements in James or Solomon, and if anything, he may be even more tempted to make the change given their respective talents.
The 23-year-old USA star has been a key man in his side so far this term, but his end product could certainly be better, and he has notched just one goal contribution in his last seven outings for the Whites, so a change could well be on the horizon regardless.
James is a great winger to have off the bench at Championship level, and he made his return to action against the Blades last week after a month out with a hamstring injury, so could well be in line for a starting berth against Watford after bagging on his last start against Sheffield Wednesday in August.
Solomon, meanwhile, has maybe not had the impact he would have liked at Elland Road so far since his summer loan move from Spurs due to a similar hamstring issue, but his quality is undoubted given his previous experience in the Premier League with Tottenham and Fulham, and Champions League exploits at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Either player would likely be a starter for most other second-tier sides, and should both be able to replicate Aaronson's impact on the team against Watford if either are called upon to start on Tuesday.
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