Leeds, UK — Weston McKennie He told ESPN he has a US teammate Tyler Adams When Brenden Aaronson A move at Leeds United was the ‘cherry on the cake’ for a move to the Premier League club, with the Juventus midfielder saying he would have moved to Elland Road without the American contingent there. added.
On Monday, the 24-year-old McKennie completed an end-of-season loan move to Leeds and was given the option of a £35million permanent move in the summer if it helps avoid relegation from the Premier League.
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The former Schalke 04 player becomes the club’s fifth prominent American alongside Adams, Aaronson, head coach Jesse Marsh and recently appointed assistant coach Chris Armas.
However, McKennie said in an exclusive interview with ESPN that he always intends to move to the Premier League, regardless of which player or coach is already at the club.
“I heard the first interest two weeks ago. [from Leeds]Leeds fits my style and matches everything I resonate with, so I saw it and thought it might be good for me. [Adams]I feel like me and him play similar in some ways, so it fits in nicely.
McKechnie said he sought advice from Adams, Aaronson, and others in his entourage before taking action, and all said, “You’re the one.”
“But honestly all my decisions were based on whether I fit into the system. Whether I could thrive there and whether I could be myself and play my style of football. It was based on what [Adams and Aaronson] Here too,” McKennie said.
“Just being able to play for club and country with Tyler and Brenden makes it a lot easier to get used to.
“We know how to play together, we know how to click, we know how to connect, so we are ready to do it here as well, so we are excited to get started.
“It’s a dream come true. I’ve wanted to play in the Premier League for a long time. When I was a kid coming to Europe, I grew up in Germany, so obviously my first thought was to go back to Germany.” The Premier League is my second choice, and now I can live my dream.”
McKechnie’s arrival at Leeds saw the team face a battle to avoid relegation, with Marsh’s side just one point ahead of third bottom Bournemouth.
But he says he can help the club climb the table by adding his own qualities to the squad in the coming weeks.
“I hope we can bring good energy, fresh energy, some goals, some defensive work and everything,” he said. Hopefully we can turn everything around and score as many points as possible in the second half of the season.”
