‘Next level’ – Rarely seen Leeds star reveals joy despite injury blow – raves over fans
Leeds United right back Luke Ayling has revealed he would never have thought he would be waking up and feeling happy with a minor injury blow after he made his return to action against QPR on Sunday.
The 26-year-old has been rarely seen by the Elland Road faithful during the second half of the season after being a Championship mainstay in the first, with a serious ankle ligament injury suffered back in January ruling him out for the majority of the campaign.
Making his 27th appearance of the season against QPR, the first since his injury layoff, Ayling took to his personal Twitter account to demonstrate his joy at only having a dead leg rather than a major injury blow, and raved over the fans after a disappointing campaign for all at Elland Road.
He wrote: “Never thought I would wake up and enjoy having a dead leg… great feeling getting back out there again.. disappointing and frustrating season for me and everyone at the club but we will come back stronger.. fans this year have taken it to the next level.”
Football Insider verdict
What could have been for Leeds if Ayling had remained fighting fit for the duration of the campaign, instead of being forced onto the sidelines for much of 2018. He was by far and away the club’s number one choice on the right side of defence and his absence certainly disrupted the balance at the back, with Gaetano Berardi unable to replicate his consistent and resolute performances. It was just one of the reasons Leeds suffered such an atrocious run of form. Having him back for the last game of the season was great for the Elland Road crowd to see and would have been a big boost for everyone watching on, who will have no doubt been counting down the days until the 26-year-old returned to action. Now he just has to focus on building up his fitness and working towards next season, when he looks likely to remain as the first choice at right back.
In other Leeds United news, Paul Heckingbottom has revealed his plans for Ryan Edmondson after his debut.
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