After promotion from the Championship ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, Leeds United boss Daniel Farke decided to stick with a host of players who provided the goods in the second tier.

Seven of the starting eleven from the final-day defeat to West Ham United last term were part of the promotion-winning squad - highlighting the faith the manager has in the players at his disposal.

After fending off relegation during the first season back in the Premier League, his trust in the senior members of the squad will no doubt have increased in recent months.

However, his continued faith in one player could prove to be a mistake, with the player continuing to struggle despite the constant selection from the German.

Why Aaronson faces an uncertain future at Leeds

Despite playing a crucial role under Farke in the Championship, many Leeds supporters would have been forgiven for thinking Brenden Aaronson would only play a bit-part role in the Premier League.

The American international previously struggled in England’s top-flight, as seen by his tally of just one goal and three assists during the relegation season of 2022/23.

However, the manager has stuck by the 25-year-old in recent times, subsequently starting the attacking midfielder in two of the three league outings this term.

He even started the recent Carabao Cup hammering against Chelsea, with Aaronson’s underling figures showcasing his struggles at Stamford Bridge.

Aaronson could only complete 50% of his attempted dribbles into attacking areas, whilst losing possession on nine occasions - highlighting his struggles in creating the goods in forward areas.

He also failed to make any tackles and was dribbled past twice, with his energetic nature looking pretty on the eye - but ultimately, it was extremely ineffective.

The attacker’s lack of quality in forward areas has been evident throughout a longer period too, as he’s currently on a run of 20 top-flight games without a goal.

Why big-money Leeds flop looks finished under Farke

Despite sticking by the vast majority of the promoted stars last season, Farke did spend around £90m to help make the Leeds squad capable of competing in the Premier League.

The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Gabriel Gudmundsson managed to cement their places as regular starters - subsequently helping avoid an immediate return to the second tier.

Both played an influential role in the Whites’ success last term, but the same can’t be said for every one of the club’s additions during last summer’s window.

Midfielder Sean Longstaff arrived from Newcastle United for a fee in the region of £10m, subsequently adding a Premier League-proven option to Farke’s ranks.

However, the 28-year-old was only able to start ten league games for the Whites last season, as he was unable to break the formidable partnership between Anton Stach and Ethan Ampadu.

As a result, the vast majority of his minutes last campaign came in the cup competitions, as he helped Leeds reach the semi-final of the FA Cup before suffering defeat to Chelsea.

His fortunes are yet to change this campaign too, as Farke has continued with the aforementioned partnership - resulting in just eight league minutes played to date.

Longstaff did start the recent Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea, but once again failed to deliver, which could see his long-term future at Elland Road come into question. It's safe to say that he is now part of a long list of midfielders who failed to deliver at this level for Leeds. Reflecting upon their last time in the top-flight, the likes of Marc Roca, Weston McKennie and Adam Forshaw did not deliver. It would appear that Longstaff is cut from a similar cloth.

During that clash with Chelsea, the midfielder, who earns a reported £80k-per-week, was unable to create any big chances from his deep-lying positions, whilst only making three of his 27 passes into the final third of the pitch.

His inability to make a positive impact within attacking areas was further evident by his inability to complete any dribbles or crosses into the attacking box.

Without the ball, the Englishman also struggled to provide the goods, subsequently failing to make any interceptions and only coming out on top of 50% of his ground duels.

Such numbers showcase his inability to take advantage of the opportunities handed his way by Farke, with the Englishman clearly not at the level needed to progress.

As a result, the manager should be looking to offload the midfielder at the next opportunity, with he and Aaronson needing to moved on if the club are to reach the next level.