Leeds United man living the 'dream' after pre-season Premier League role uncertainty

When the campaign began Aaronson found himself behind Daniel James and Willy Gnonto for the wing positions and his match minutes came as a second half substitute. It seemed like Noah Okafor's progression towards match fitness would only complicate matters more for the American and his chance of seeing action. That was until Fulham away when Daniel Farke selected Aaronson ahead of both James and Gnonto, preferring to have a more defensive look on the right hand side given the offensive nature of the left flank. Okafor's inclusion in the starting line-up for the first time actually helped Aaronson because Farke wanted a bit more balance on the road against a side with a dangerous left pairing.

And then fate sort of took over. James came off the bench at Craven Cottage, picked up a core muscle injury in a heavy collision and then rolled his ankle during his rehabilitation. Gnonto meanwhile sustained a calf injury. The upshot, for Aaronson, was another three consecutive starts on the right wing.

Game time is guaranteed to no one and Aaronson was uncertain how much he would feature before the season kicked off but he's relishing the chance to play so much for Leeds right now. Speaking to The Philadelphia Inquirer during this week's US Men's National Team camp the 24-year-old said: "I mean, listen, I didn’t know, with this season in the Premier League, if I [was] going to be playing, or what role I’d have, stuff like that.

"It’s always a dream come true playing in the Premier League, and being able to play week in, week out right now is a dream."

Though Farke continues to talk up Aaronson's workload and defensive contribution - a facet of his game that was also highlighted by Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola - there is still an expectation that he will chip in offensively. So far this season he is without a goal or assist but it was his popping up on the edge of the box and shooting that led to rebound goals for Sean Longstaff and Noah Okafor. And had Dominic Calvert-Lewin realised how much time he had for an early chance against the Cherries, Aaronson would have added to the three Premier League assists he recorded prior to Leeds' relegation.

"[Farke] just wants to see me do my game, like how I played last year," said Aaronson. "Be creative, be creating from the right wing position — if it’s creating chances on the dribble, finding people with through balls, playing close to Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the striker, I’ve been given time to kind of understand the position a little bit more, and grow used to it. Of course it would be nice to score, but in the Premier League you get very few chances. It’s not going to be like last season in the Championship, where I [was] getting a bunch of chances, playing [as] the best team in the league.”

Aaronson and USMNT take on Ecuador and Australia in their October international break fixtures on Saturday and Wednesday respectively.