21 June 2024 , 04:00
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Weston McKennie has opened up about his disappointing stint at Leeds, describing it as one of the lowest points in his career.
In January 2023, McKennie joined Leeds in a bid to help them avoid relegation to the Championship. Despite making 20 appearances across all competitions, Leeds were relegated on the final day of the season.
Following this, McKennie returned to Serie A's Juventus, his parent club. He quickly regained form and became a regular starter for the European giants. The 25-year-old, who is set to represent the United States in the Copa America this month, has been linked with a potential return to the Premier League this summer.
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However, his previous experience in England was far from positive. "My time at Leeds was probably one of my lower points, if not the lowest in my professional career," McKennie told The Athletic. "I always look at the positive because I was at Juventus, playing week in and week out, and maybe I developed a little bit of comfortability or complacency, knowing I was going to play on the weekend.
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"By going to Leeds and having the performance that I had there and the way that it just turned out in general - four coaches in five months, just nothing going to plan or how I imagined it. When I went there, my head was more, 'OK, I want to go here, perform very well, put up numbers, help the team stay up, and then hopefully another Premier League team, top five, comes in and sees how well I've played and then they would buy me.'"
However, as Leeds' performances dipped and relegation loomed, frustrations grew, leading to boos that impacted McKennie. He shared his experience with racism, saying: "I like to think I'm someone that has a thick skin. When you get little comments here and there, it's pretty easy to ignore. But then when you open up your phone and always the first thing you see on social is something negative, it's hard to ignore it."
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McKennie is preparing for a home Copa America campaign with the USMNT (Getty Images)McKennie added: "When people started attacking me - me as a person in general, not even with football - everyone knows that I'm more thick-boned than some other players, in that my body shape is the way that it is. But when people started out saying, 'You fat -------' and 'you pig' and 'you monkey' and stuff like that, people don't really realise the effect that it has on people."
Last season, McKennie enjoyed his finest form for Juventus upon returning to his parent club. He made 34 Serie A appearances as Juventus finished third and secured a Champions League berth, while also winning the Coppa Italia.
McKennie's USMNT takes on Bolivia in their opening Copa America match on Sunday, June 23. The United States are in Group C alongside Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay.