Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has admitted receiving very positive recommendations about new signing Weston McKennie.
The Whites struck a major deal towards the end of the January window.
Having already snapped up defender Maximilian Wober and striker Georginio Rutter, Leeds had one more top addition up their sleeve.
In came midfielder Weston McKennie, arriving from Juventus despite links with a move to other Premier League clubs.
McKennie arrives on loan but Sky Sports claim that a permanent deal worth £30million is in the pipeline for this summer.
That means joining forces with United States teammates Tyler Adams and Brendan Aaronson, as well as American boss Marsch.
Jesse Marsch given positives views on Leeds new boy Weston McKennie
This may sound like a ‘jobs for the boys’ situation but Marsch has moved to play that idea down.
Speaking to The Sunday Mirror (05/02, p73), Marsch indicated that whilst he and McKennie had crossed paths previously, they weren’t close before this transfer.
Marsch added that he asked around contacts in the game about McKennie and was constantly told that he is great guy, a great teammate, a real competitor and is very confident.
Marsch concluded that McKennie was a ‘no-brainer’ signing for Leeds and believes the midfielder will prove to be a quality addition for the Whites.
“Weston and I had met as acquaintances a couple of times but it’s not as if we knew each other,” said Marsch. “When Weston’s name was discussed in terms of having him here, I always do my homework and that means talking to people who know him, have played with him, are close to him or coached him.”
“What I heard about Weston was ‘great guy, a great teammate, a competitor, confident’. When I then spoke to him, what I learned was that he was hungry, had a desire to improve and a belief that he has done well in his career but that he has no much more to achieve and learn.”
“After I combined all that with watching him over the years, signing Weston became a no-brainer,” he added.
McKennie, 24, has bags of potential and now needs to show it consistently for Leeds.
Marsch absolutely knows that – and indicated as much last year.
Speaking to The Athletic in 2022, Marsch suggested that McKennie is a player who can be ‘outstanding one day, flat on another’.
The challenge for McKennie and Marsch is now to find that consistent level of performance and make him an impact player week in and week out.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
