Brenden Aaronson sends heartfelt message to Leeds United fans as 'dream' Elland Road return complete

Brenden Aaronson sent a heartfelt thanks out to Leeds United fans for their support during a ‘dream’ Championship title-winning campaign.

Aaronson and his Leeds teammates were spread across multiple open-top buses on Monday afternoon as fans lined the city-centre streets in their thousands to celebrate promotion. Many had been in Plymouth Argyle just 48 hours before to watch their side claim the Championship title with a 2-1 win at Home Park.

Leeds were in second as the clock ticked past 90 minutes at Plymouth but as has so often been the case, late drama went their way as Manor Solomon squeezed in an added-time winner. That goal took the whites to 100 points for the season to ensure Monday’s parade was enjoyed with the proper trophy on hand.

Aaronson wasn’t involved in last season’s play-off heartbreak, having joined Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin on loan the previous summer, and the American returned to mixed opinion among supporters. But he quickly earned the trust of Farke and fought his way back into the hearts of fans with an unrivalled work-rate.

“It feels amazing,” Aaronson told LUTV as the bus crawled through a packed out Leeds city centre. “Us guys are really enjoying ourselves and it’s great to see the turnout. It just completed the season to get the trophy and celebrate with our fans, it's a dream season. I've seen a lot of American parades but nothing like this, it's amazing. Thank you guys for everything because you made the year amazing, so thank you.”

Pascal Struijk celebrating a second Championship title with Leeds United

One man who did endure the heartbreak of last season was Pascal Struijk, and the Dutchman - a relative veteran compared to others in the squad - was even involved as a teenager when Leeds last won promotion under Marcelo Bielsa. He is one of three current squad members to claim a second Championship winners medal alongside Patrick Bamford and Illan Meslier.

Unfortunately due to the Covid pandemic, there was no such parade five years ago and much of the celebrations were done at a distance. And so Struijk was particularly delighted to be able to share the moment with his fans this time round.

“I don't even know how to put it into words,” Struijk added. “I'd rather let the camera focus on the fans, it's amazing. There's too many to count, it's amazing, the support is incredible. I feel like last time missed out a little bit so I’m loving wearing this medal.”

Both Struijk and Aaronson will now be able to look forward to a fresh shot at Premier League football, having both been involved in the 2022/23 relegation campaign. The pair are among a large core group expected to remain on board as Farke plots his side’s top-flight survival attempt.

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