Jesse Marsch is confident Brenden Aaronson will bounce back from his error in Leeds United’s 2-2 draw against West Ham United on Wednesday evening. Just one minute into the second half, the midfielder gave possession away cheaply 30 yards from his own goal.
A wayward pass found Hammers striker Gianluca Scamacca, who made Aaronson pay with a superb effort from long range. The goal was a sucker punch after the restart and gave the Hammers a two-goal advantage.
Thankfully for the American, his blushes would be somewhat spared as Rodrigo equalised with 20 minutes remaining. The incident did, however, accentuate Aaronson’s poor run of form.
After a promising start, his form has somewhat stalled, with Aaronson have scored just one goal and two assists in 17 appearances since his summer switch. Adapting to the Premier League is viewed by many as a tricky test and, of late, the 22-year-old has struggled.
Marsch – who managed Aaronson at Red Bull Salzburg – has backed his compatriot to come good. He said after the West Ham game: “Yeah, I mean, I hugged him when he came off and then I went to him after the match. I feel for him right now because, for whatever reason, he’s a little down.
“You can see it. Obviously, he puts a lot of responsibility on himself. One of the greatest things I’ve known about him is his ability to believe in himself and his ability to play with fearlessness.
“So we need to get him back to that. The league is tough and he has been identified as a player that’s important for us and (he is) physically struggling to insert himself into matches. But he shouldn’t be fazed. He should continue to believe in himself and push himself. So that will certainly be an emphasis with him.”
