Leeds United are set to be without winger Dan James for their clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the last Premier League match before the international break on Saturday.
The Wales international has suffered an ankle injury and is now set to be out of action for “weeks”, per reporter Graham Smyth, which is a blow for Daniel Farke.
James has yet to deliver a goal or an assist in the Premier League in four appearances so far this season, but he was a key player for the Whites in the Championship.
The 27-year-old speedster ended the 2024/25 campaign with an eye-catching return of 12 goals and nine assists in 36 appearances in the second tier, as Leeds racked up 100 points to win the title, per Sofascore.
His absence in the coming weeks means that Farke will need to find solutions in the right-wing position to make sure that Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have enough support at the top end of the pitch.
Brenden Aaronson has shown some promising signs this season as a right winger, but it is now time for the USA international to step up and prove his worth.
Why Brenden Aaronson needs to step up for Leeds
The American attacking midfielder has started the club’s last three matches in the Premier League on the right flank, and is yet to deliver a goal or an assist in the division this season.
Aaronson’s lack of quality in the final third is a cause for concern for the West Yorkshire outfit, because it was a big problem for him and Leeds in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.
The Whites were relegated from the division that season after Jesse Marsch brought the American in from RB Salzburg, and his struggles in front of goal played a role in that failure.
xG
3.87
Top 37%
Goals
1
Bottom 21%
Assists
3
Top 36%
Dribble success rate
41.5%
Bottom 23%
Duel success rate
39.8%
Bottom 33%
Aerial duel success rate
17%
Bottom 12%
As you can see in the table above, Aaronson underperformed in front of goal as a finisher, scoring between two and three fewer than expected, whilst he was also a liability out of possession.
The 24-year-old lightweight, who has lost 67% of his aerial duels this season (Sofascore), needs to show that he can be relied upon physically and technically, because his Premier League career to date has been underwhelming.
Aaronson, who failed to provide a single goal contribution against the top six in the Championship last season, has created three ‘big chances’ in the top-flight this term, but he needs to add a greater goal threat and more reliability physically to his game.
With James out for weeks with an ankle injury, the USMNT star may get a few more opportunities to prove his worth from the start in the Premier League.
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Whilst Aaronson is looking to change his reputation at Elland Road, there is another player in the squad who is on the opposite path and is in danger of becoming the next version of the American.
Ao Tanaka was a certified star for Leeds in the Championship last season as part of Farke’s dominant possession-based side that stormed the league. The step up to the Premier League, however, has come as a bit of a culture shock to the central midfielder.
Why Ao Tanaka might become the new Brenden Aaronson
The Japan international won the Players’ Player of the Year award for Leeds in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows what his teammates thought of his exceptional performances in the second tier.
Tanaka, who was described as a “tiger” by Farke, won 55% of his duels across 43 appearances in the Championship. He was dominant in his physical battles, per Sofascore, whilst also providing quality at the top end of the pitch.
The 27-year-old midfield maestro scored five goals and provided two assists in the division for the Whites, to go along with his tigerish play out of possession.
However, the step up in physicality in the top-flight has left Tanaka struggling to break his way back into the team ahead of Sean Longstaff, Ethan Ampadu, and Anton Stach.
Journalist Graham Smyth recently raised concerns over the midfielder, saying: “My concern with Tanaka was physicality in the Premier League. He got run over a few times towards the end of the last season. I worried a little bit, against the most elite athletes in the Premier League.”
The central midfielder has played four times in the Premier League so far this season, per Sofascore, and he has struggled to deal with the ‘most elite athletes’ that he is now up against in the top-flight.
Tackles
1
Bottom 5%
Duels won
3
Bottom 3%
Duel success rate
16.7%
Bottom 3%
Ball recoveries
8
Bottom 28%
Dribbled past
6x
Bottom 5%
Fouls committed
2
Bottom 25%
As you can see in the table above, Tanaka ranks incredibly poorly among his positional peers in a host of defensive and physical metrics, which illustrates how difficult the adaptation to the league has been for him, winning just 17% of his duels.
Per Sofascore, the midfield star has not won a single aerial duel in 169 minutes of action in the Premier League, whilst he has also lost 80% of his duels on the ground in that time.
Tanaka lost four of his five duels in a ten-minute cameo against Bournemouth on Saturday, per Sofascore, which led Smyth to express his concerns over the midfielder’s struggles with the physicality of the Premier League.
Of course, he has only played four matches in the division, and there is still plenty of time left for him to adapt to the physical nature of the league, but his performances so far have been concerning.
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Therefore, Tanaka is in danger of becoming the next Aaronson at Elland Road, as the American lightweight has struggled with the physicality of the division throughout his career in West Yorkshire.