Pascal Struijk believes one of his Leeds United teammates does not always receive the credit he deserves following the 3-1 win over Middlesbrough.
Leeds made it eight consecutive home league wins in the Championship with arguably their most satisfying yet, against a Boro side who were arguably the best visiting team to Elland Road all season.
Wilfried Gnonto gave Leeds the lead early on and after some missed chances towards the end of the first half, were punished not long after the break as Max Wober headed into his own net.
However, Leeds showed what a good team they are by wresting back control of the match, receiving their just reward when player of the match Dan James fired into the top corner.
Brenden Aaronson then put the game to bed in stoppage time after finding himself on the end of an unselfish square pass from Ao Tanaka.
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Struijk praises Brenden Aaronson’s unnoticed work for Leeds
Someone who has been coming under a little scrutiny as of late is Aaronson, following a run of six matches without a goal or an assist.
In that period, many Leeds fans have been calling for Aaronson to be dropped to the bench, which isn’t too harsh considering some of the options waiting in reserve.
However, Farke has continued to stick with his man and has always praised Aaronson’s work rate whenever he has been asked about his position in the side.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds after Tuesday night’s win over Middlesbrough, Struijk was also asked about the role Aaronson plays in the team.
The Leeds defender believes Aaronson is someone who always ‘does a lot’ of work that often goes unnoticed, stating goals will soon start to flow because of the effort he puts in every single game.
He said: “He puts in the work, runs a lot for the team and does a lot of stuff off the ball. Then his time will come and he’ll score the goals he deserves.”
Aaronson produced best performance since August for Leeds
There is no doubt Aaronson’s form has tailed off as of late but last night he did look considerably better, particularly in the final third with some neat little turns.
And the statistics very much back up what many people believe they saw in Aaronson at Elland Road, and so it was nice to see him round his display off with a goal.
| Stat | Aaronson |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Touches | 56 |
| Passes | 27/35 (77%) |
| Fouls won | 3 |
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