Tyler Adams recently revealed that fellow 22/23 Leeds United acquisition Weston McKennie may have struggled since he was injured shortly after his arrival.
Leeds’ Championship status stems from a series of long-standing Premier League failures, with transfer blunders playing a significant role.
It’s reasonable to say that Jesse Marsch’s signings were not particularly successful, with just Tyler Adams from the USMNT or the Red Bull connection standing out.
Tyler Adams offers his thoughts on Weston McKennie’s troubles at Leeds.
Weston McKennie was an obvious disappointment among the 22/23 signings, unable to keep up with the pace of the Premier League for a variety of reasons, including the fact that January signings rarely hit the ground running in general, the fact that he wasn’t fully fit, and the fact that he simply wasn’t putting in the effort.
Adams, on the other hand, told the Daily Mail this month that he believes McKennie’s chances of making an impact at Elland Road were hampered by his own hamstring injury.
He claimed this, while confirming that he played a significant role in proposing McKennie to Marsch and the club’s staff:
“(Then) I was injured, and it blew up in his face.
“It was quite difficult for me… I feel like I let him down.
Is Adams correct in his assessment of McKennie’s performance at Leeds
Leeds appeared to have added a nice alternative to their depth when McKennie signed, following a fine World Cup stay alongside Adams in the USMNT midfield.
However, it quickly became clear that, other from a few flashes of brilliance, he was simply not up to the task, and this was before Adams’ injury in mid-March.
Adams’ injury hampered our midfield synergy in April and May, but there is much more to why McKennie and others did not perform well for us.
He arrived in Leeds unfit, and on the pitch, it appeared that he was unwilling to put in the effort to maintain Leeds in the top flight – but he was far from alone in this regard.
His form for Juventus, which has seemingly won him a Premier League transfer, has demonstrated that he had the talent that we require in 2023, but it did not work out.
Adams is correct in pointing out that his recommendation was regrettable, given he did not have many opportunity to start alongside McKennie.
