Volleys of abuse rained down on Weston McKennie as he trudged off Elland Road for the last time in May 2023. It was an image which summed up the toxicity around Leeds United as they fell out of the Premier League with a desperate whimper.
Of the last 27 points available to the Whites in their fight to remain in the top flight, they won two. McKennie was not single-handedly responsible for the dire run of form he was in the middle of, after arriving on loan in January, but he became the target of so much anger.
The American’s loan spell, Nottingham Forest win aside, was a disaster. He had been parachuted into a team on a desperate run of form, saw his first head coach dismissed after one appearance and cycled through three further bosses before he returned to Italy.
It was not an environment conducive to high performance, but this summer’s links with Aston Villa will have justifiably left some Leeds fans feeling quite bemused. If the 25-year-old were brought back to a United side in the Championship, there would be very few supporters in West Yorkshire jumping for joy.
The proposed move to Champions League-bound Villa is wrapped up in Douglas Luiz’s move in the other direction. However, while the Brazilian’s terms in Turin are sorted, McKennie’s are reportedly holding the entire deal up.