‘Never going to be David Silva’ - Where ‘question marks’ remain with Brenden Aaronson as Leeds & USMNT star is told what needs adding to his game

The odd purple patch has been hit across an eventful spell at Elland Road, with one of those being enjoyed early in 2026 as three goals were recorded across back-to-back Premier League outings against Manchester United and Newcastle.

Aaronson failed to find the target again after that in 2025-26, and has just one Carabao Cup effort to his name this term through 10 appearances in all competitions. A regular starting berth is yet to be nailed down in Daniel Farke’s plans.

Proving his worth has become a familiar challenge for Aaronson, as he suffered relegation at the end of his debut season in England. He returned from a loan spell in Germany to help land the Championship title and has been able to silence many doubters.

A new contract was signed heading into the 2026-27 campaign, as fitting reward for his personal reversal in fortune, but questions continue to be asked of what his best role is and where he fits into the bigger picture at Elland Road.

Many with ties to Leeds have been quick to talk up Aaronson’s contribution in training, where he is often considered to be “Lionel Messi-esque”, but how does he go about transferring those displays onto the competitive stage?

When that question was put to Beckford, the former Leeds frontman - who was speaking in association with FreeBets, home of the best UK betting sites - told GOAL when delivering his assessment of Aaronson: “I love Brenden. I think he's fantastic. He's a lovely guy as well, which adds to a little bit of his personality.

“You can see him when he's on the pitch. You can see the energy that he plays with, the enthusiasm that he plays with. He's never going to be a David Silva type player. He's got that sort of stature.

“The thing that I think people question about him is what he does in the final third. He grafts as hard as anybody, if not harder than everybody. I think last season he had the stats of winning the ball back in the final third more times than anybody else in the Premier League - I may be mistaken on that, but he was right up there at the top of the charts in those stats. That's what he brings to the team.

“The question marks start to arise when he wins the ball back. Now what? A lot of people have said he takes one, two, three touches too many. By that time, the defenders have got back, they smother him, and then he loses the ball or whatever it may be.

“I think he's great. It's understandable that the boys say he's amazing in training because in training, that's what you do. You're grafting, you're ratting around, you're trying to win the ball back as quickly as possible, and then it's all about the turnover.

“In training, you're working on winning the ball back as quickly as possible. Then I want him to win the ball back, give it to the wide boys, or put a through ball to Dom [Calvert-Lewin] or Lukas Nmecha, or somebody. I think that's where the question marks arise.”

Aaronson is yet to register an assist this season, and it is those numbers on which playmakers of his ilk pride themselves. He can always be relied upon to disrupt opponents and press from the front, but can he really hurt them when in possession?

That has been the test put to him for some time, with more needing to be done in order to truly convince. Mauricio Pochettino has found no place for the hard-running 26-year-old in his latest USMNT squad - with Christian Pulisic and Co preparing for CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final action against Haiti.