Leeds United man punished for others' mistakes and decisions as neither side of debate backs down — YEP 28/11/25

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United man Brenden Aaronson is taking punishment for mistakes that are not his as well as his own but if his mental health is a concern then it's a matter for Daniel Farke.

Farke was asked about Aaronson's place in the team on Sunday after the 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa and though he began with an assessment of his options on the wing the manager then said: "But I also have to say what we are doing sometimes in criticising this young man, then we don't have to do all this mental health awareness days anyhow." He continued in a similar manner for some time, expounding Aaronson's workhorse virtues and lashing out at the 'more than unfair' treatment he believes the American is receiving. The message the manager put across was ultimately that football's mental health awareness initiatives are rendered pointless by the scale of the criticism aimed at one individual. Scapegoating was what he was getting at.

Any reasonable-minded human would agree that abuse is unwarranted but in the discussion of Farke's comments since Sunday there have been suggestions that the manager was weaponising mental health in what is ultimately a debate around his own decisions. Many believe that Dan James or Willy Gnonto should be playing ahead of Aaronson, particularly at Elland Road. Particularly when Leeds need creativity, attacking threat and points. It is one of the biggest sticks being used to beat Farke with right now and any chance of framing it simply as online commentary went out the window with Elland Road's chants for James and Gnonto on Sunday. The subject has now come up so often that it would be fair to wonder whether Farke is just sick of it.

Time and time again Farke has put on record his appreciation for the distances Aaronson covers, the defensive work he gets through and the effort he's willing to put in. "With all respect, he represents so many skills that we want to stand for as Leeds United," the German added on Sunday. The club's mantra is 'side before self' and Aaronson's on-pitch workrate certainly reflects that. It's just not that simple. Whether or not there was a manager and a plan in place when Aaronson was offered the chance to go to the Bundesliga on loan in the summer of 2023 thanks to one of those egregious relegation exit clauses, he chose self before side. Others did too, of course. Unlike some others, he came back a year later wanting to play in the Championship. He scored nine goals and played a part in promotion but even had he scored 18, not all Leeds fans would forgive and none will forget. That's the part of the backdrop that is down to Aaronson and Aaronson alone.

Then there's the fact that he's playing in a position where Leeds should have but did not strengthen in the transfer window. It's not his fault that the club's recruitment efforts fell short. It's not really his fault that he's not the supremely gifted creative type Leeds should have on the right. He can be too frantic, miss chances and take wrong decisions in the final third but he is what he is, in the Premier League his strengths are more suited to protecting than attacking. He hassles, harries and annoys. He runs. That's why Farke can say with such confidence that there's a reason the side has been so much more solid on the right than the left.

It's also not Aaronson's fault that he finds himself in the team ahead of other options fans would rather see. That's down to the manager. If we're really honest, some of the anger sent Aaronson's way is misdirected. It's frustration that should be aimed elsewhere but it explodes in moments like the one on Sunday when he dwelled far too long on the ball and turned a promising attack into a Villa counter.

And if mental health is a concern then that's down to the manager too because the environment into which Farke continues to put the 25-year-old is not going to change. Farke's point that players are human beings is one worth making and making again. It would be better accompanied by a message to social media companies to do more about abuse and a call for more kindness and patience from society in general but it is a little at odds with what Farke himself has said about players. Speaking about those coming back from international break disappointment he said: "It's difficult but this is why they sign professional contracts and earn proper money, so I don’t think we have to have too much sympathy." He has on numerous occasions pointed out that players lead a privileged life and should accept criticism. So if Aaronson's case has provoked in Farke some extra level of concern then armed with the knowledge that Elland Road will never be a less demanding, expectant or passionate place, shouldn't it be down to him to protect the player by taking him out of the firing line?

This was put to Farke on Thursday ahead of the weekend trip to Manchester City and while he refuted the suggestion that selection decisions should bow to external pressure, what he said sounded like a toning down of Sunday's impassioned concern.

"It's not that we dwell under some pressure or whatever," he said. "So it's more like he deals with this in a proper way. If I'm honest, he got the stick more or less the first day since he walked back through the door after he was loaned out. Whenever we are there with the poor performances, or perhaps he has a poor day then everyone is on his back. He's used to it. We also speak about it. We also speak about it in the dressing room. Of course, we have sometimes this topic. But listen, we work together. We win together. We lose together. And it's never, ever that we finger point on one player. It will never be that just because the outside world is a bit like 'this player should play or should not play' that we as a group and we as a coaching staff dwell under this pressure, make the decision out of this."

Farke went on to clarify that he isn't guaranteeing Aaronson will play every minute over the next week against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, and that selection decisions will be taken on the skills that are needed to meet the technical demands of each game. He concluded by reiterating that the American has the squad's backing and he doesn't have to worry. However the further this and other issues drive the manager and the fanbase apart, the more of a worry it will become for the ownership. Aaronson is unfortunate enough to have become the face of a debate that pits Farke against a good number of supporters. And neither side appears prepared to back down.