It was easy to say Jesse Marsch only signed Weston McKennie for Leeds United because of their shared nationality. McKennie wasn’t the only American to pitch up at Elland Road during Marsch’s time at the club with Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson also added to the squad, but the on-loan Juventus midfielder came with significant pedigree after his time in Serie A.
McKennie might not have been a key figure at Juventus, but he’d featured in a good number of matches for the Old Lady, starting 13 Serie A matches in the first half of the season. The 24-year-old was well thought of in Turin, yet the opportunity to play in the Premier League was a compelling one. He couldn’t turn it down.
With Leeds United in the bottom three and facing relegation, McKennie’s stay in the Premier League could be a short one. His loan will expire at the end of the season and while the US international has shown glimpses of his ability for Leeds, he may not have done enough to attract the attention of another Premier League club.
This was always the risk for McKennie with joining a club in Leeds United’s situation. As a Juventus player who had been strongly linked with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the past, it was somewhat surprising that the American was willing to join a team battling against relegation from the Premier League.
Leeds have exposed themselves as the worst-run club in the Premier League this season, ploughing through three different managers (Marsch, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce) since McKennie joined in January. The American has been denied any chance to achieve any sort of consistency as a consequence.
Juventus could still use a player of McKennie’s quality, but a lot has changed in the three months since the American left the Allianz Stadium. Max Allegri has shifted his team into a new formation with Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot now being used as a central trio in the middle of the pitch.
Previously, McKennie was most commonly used on the right side of a midfield four, but this role doesn’t exist in Allegri’s new system. Of course, McKennie is most comfortable in a central position, and this is where he plays for the US men’s national team. At Juventus, though, competition is stiff in this part of the squad – Paul Pogba is another vying for a starting spot.
It’s increasingly clear McKennie finds himself at a career crossroads. Joining Leeds on loan was something of a gamble and that gamble, it appears, won’t pay off with the Whites on their way to the English Championship. Had Leeds stayed up, McKennie might have been kept on a permanent basis. That could have given him a platform to prove himself further in the Premier League.
As things stand now, though, McKennie will likely have to look elsewhere. He is still held in high regard in Germany where he initially broke through for Schalke – there could be some interest from the Bundesliga. Having already played in England, Germany and Italy, McKennie could be tempted by an offer from Spain, where he has yet to test himself.
McKennie certainly isn’t the only USMNT player to be facing a summer of uncertainty. Christian Pulisic has a decision to make on his future as opportunities have dried up for him at Chelsea while Sergino Dest is also on the peripheries at Barcelona after a failed season on loan at AC Milan in Serie A.
Even at Leeds United, there are fellow USMNT figures with big decisions to make. Adams has been embraced by the Elland Road faithful as a tough-tackling midfield enforcer, but does he really want to be playing in the English second tier next season? Aaronson will also be asking himself the same question.
The talent of the current USMNT crop is undeniable, but a number of players are facing critical periods in their respective careers after the 2022 World Cup and McKennie is one of them. Now 24 years old, the former Juventus and Schalke midfielder must get his next transfer right. It will have a critical bearing on how the peak years of his career pan out, heading into World Cup 2026 on home soil.
