Leeds United legend Stuart Dallas has singled out one member of Daniel Farke’s squad that he believes is underrated by fans following the 2-1 win over West Ham.
Daniel Farke breathed a sigh of relief at full-time after his side conceded another late goal, but ultimately held on for a crucial Premier League win.
There were several impressive performers in the white of Leeds as Joe Rodon scored another important goal and new signing Sean Longstaff provided another assist.
However, Farke singled out Brenden Aaronson as his man of the match at full-time after the American opened the scoring, ending his three-year wait for a Premier League goal.
Now, Stuart Dallas has backed Farke’s assessment of Aaronson’s performance, claiming the often-maligned forward plays an underrated role in the Leeds side.
Stuart Dallas saluted the fans at Leeds United v Blackburn Rovers - Sky Bet Championship
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Stuart Dallas praises Leeds United forward Brenden Aaronson
Dallas provided advice on how Noah Okafor can improve ahead of the game and, speaking after the game via the Sky Sports Football podcast, the former Northern Ireland international praised Aaronson.
According to Dallas, although Aaronson has struggled to contribute goals and assists so far this season, his work rate off the ball means he is underappreciated at times.
Dallas said: “I think with Brenden, he does a lot of work off the ball. I think at times, he’s underappreciated in this system that Daniel wants to play. And his numbers haven’t been good enough for an attacking player at Leeds.
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“He needs to be producing better assists or better, more goals, more assists. He was unlucky last week. He probably should have scored.
“But tonight I thought he was excellent. You know, he got his goal early on, which obviously gave him a bit of confidence. And yeah, hopefully he can start to grow now.”
Brenden Aaronson celebrates with Jayden Bogle and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
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Aaronson’s stats v West Ham prove his defensive value
Although all of the attention was on Aaronson’s goal against the Hammers, the FotMob stats highlight his importance to Leeds off the ball.
Aaronson made nine defensive contributions in total, the most of any member of the Leeds forward line, as he helped ramp up the pressure on the West Ham back line.
Brenden Aaronson’s defensive effort vs West Ham:
Defensive Contributions: 9
Ground Duels Won: 9
Recoveries: 4
Tackles: 3
Successful Dribbles: 3
Interceptions: 2
The Leeds forward won the most ground duels of any player on the pitch, winning eight from 10 attempts, and also made three tackles, the third most for Leeds.
Aaronson’s pressure-relieving dribble in the second half, which nearly led to a goal, was equally valuable to his side. If he can maintain this level of performance, he will be a real asset to Farke and Leeds moving forward.