'Unfinished business' - USMNT star Brenden Aaronson returns to Leeds United determined to prove himself after taking a 'battering' in the Bundesliga

Speaking to The Athletic, the 23-year-old revealed that he is excited to return to Leeds United this summer after spending a year away on loan in the Bundesliga with Union Berlin.

After speaking with manager Daniel Farke, the German revealed he has plans for the American in his team, and that he was excited to integrate him back into the project.

Aaronson himself is now buzzing over making his return, as he has "unfinished business" with the club.

“It was an awesome conversation,” Aaronson said. “The role he sees me playing, the games he watched of me, how I fit into the team, and, importantly, the things I can get better at.”

With a new sense of ambition, the American has his heart set on seeing Elland Road return to the top flight of English soccer.

“It’s a grind. It’s a challenge I want to be up for... all I care about is getting Leeds United promoted back to the Premier League.

“I know how big the club is, how much it means to people in the city,” Aaronson added. “Coming back, I’m going to do the best I can. All I want to do is bring Leeds back to the Premier League. I can’t wait to play at Elland Road in front of our fans again.”

Leeds fell just short of promotion in 2024, ending the season on 90 points and falling during the English Championship playoffs. Meanwhile, Aaronson has a tough campaign in the Bundesliga with Union Berlin, who were in the relegation zone for much of the first half of the campaign.

It was a learning curve for the American, though, who had plenty of takeaways from his stint there.

“Playing in the Bundesliga is super physical, it’s just a battering,” Aaronson said. “The biggest thing I learned this year is working on physicality. I got a nutritionist and I gained six pounds of muscle mass, which is huge for me. I had to gain weight. At Union, there wasn’t a ton of football. We were without the ball much more. It forced me to get stronger and win more duels.”

Aaronson will represent the USMNT at Copa America this summer, with their first group stage game coming on June 23 versus Bolivia. They'll follow it with matches vs Panama and Uruguay during the remainder of the group stage.