Why McKennie could be perfect for Leeds' quest for survival

 

Leeds have struggled for consistency this season, drawing six, losing nine and only winning four of their Premier League games. They sit 15th, but only one point separates them from the relegation zone, and only three points from basement boys Southampton. Any slip up could be costly at the moment with so many teams facing the same mixed pattern of form. 

 

They just about managed to survive last season, finishing 17th, three points above the dropzone, and if they want to make the second half of this season more comfortable compared to last season, then reinforcements are needed to bolster Jesse Marsch’s squad. 

 

One name who has been linked in the last few days is Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie. Leeds have options in midfield, but saw Mateusz Klich leave the club this month, while Adam Foreshaw has had an injury hit season, only making five competitive appearances.  

 

McKennie would fit the fit of an energetic midfielder that suits Marsch’s style of play and his age would be an even bigger benefit at just 24, joining one of the more younger teams in the division, with just still plenty of experience of European football playing for both Juventus and Schalke. 

 

What would also make McKennie a good fit is he would be linking up with two of his international teammates in Yorkshire in Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson, all three of whom played together at the end of last year as USA made it to the last-16 at the World Cup. Though this doesn’t always follow that teams will instantly play better, it would help McKennie to settle quicker with compatriots who have a good understanding of one another's playing styles. 

 

This season in Turin hasn’t been the best however for the young box-to-box midfielder. In Serie A he has only scored once and assisted another, and though these aren’t his main attributes, he doesn’t seem to be showing much desire to make things happen this season further up the pitch, only registering eight key passes and eight shots. He is defined as a player with good finishing and yet his shot accuracy is only 50% in Serie A this season, despite the fact that all his shots have come from within the penalty area. 

 

But historically he is someone who knows how to find the back of the net with only five other Juventus players scoring more Serie A goals than McKennie (9) since the start of the 2020/21 season, a metric of course topped by Cristiano Ronaldo (29), with his first season being his most prolific where he scored five and assisted a further two. Even this season he has notched two goals in Juventus’ poor Champions League campaign, which no player in his team can better. 

 

 

The defensive side to his game is one that will matter a lot to Leeds fans having witnessed their side ship in 33 goals this season in the league, the third highest return. He is a player who is characterised as someone who has defensive contribution as a strength, but yet is averaging as many tackles as he is fouls per game (0.9) and perhaps would suggest that he can be quite reckless with his challenges. He has also only won possession 43 times, with the most coming in the defensive third (21), which again doesn’t suggest he contributes heavily in the defensive department. Juventus have only enjoyed an average possession of 49.5% this season, which would suggest they aren’t dominating opponents like they used to, another reason why these stats should in theory be higher. 

 

However, the work he is carrying is to a solid standard. In terms of tackles, though he has only attempted 17, 82.3% of them have been successful and even his pass success rate is a steady 81.7%. He has only been dribbled past three times in his 1060 minutes of Serie A action this season as well, which does underline the energetic, hard-working midfielder Marsch is looking for. 

 

His top two best rated seasons in league action came in the Bundesliga in 2018/19 (6.82) and 2019/20 (6.78) with Schalke, which may go to show that he hasn’t been able to enhance his best abilities while playing for Juventus, whether that is because of playing style, consistency or other possible factors. 

 

Many fans would have caught a glimpse of his quality at the World Cup, especially in USA’s game against England where he played a key role in his side’s convincing display in the 0-0 draw both in an attacking and defensive sense, where he played on the right side of the midfield, underling an adaptability to his play. Based off this display and his general game play in Qatar, it would go to show that McKennie has the potential to be a top player, it’s just about finding it on a consistent basis across an entire season. 

 

His best form at club level did come when he was playing for Schalke, with a mixed time so far during his spell in Italy, but if he is able to rediscover his old self and unlock his true potential, then Leeds will have a proper all-round midfielder on their hands who can push them towards Premier League survival.

Why McKennie could be perfect for Leeds' quest for survival