Paul Robinson hails Stuart Dallas form after Leeds United star suffers loss of close friend
We’re delighted to welcome former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as our exclusive columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Leeds United.
Stuart Dallas is “extremely brave” to continue playing for Leeds United despite grieving the death of a friend, according to Paul Robinson.
Last week, the 30-year-old Northern Ireland international told BBC Radio Leeds that he lost one of his closest friends back in September.
He had tested positive for COVID-19 around the same period of time too but the former Brentford player has failed to miss a single match for Leeds United this season.
Dallas refused compassionate leave at Elland Road [Independent] and Marcelo Bielsa also expressed admiration for the Northern Irishman’s character.
Former Leeds goalkeeper Robinson has spoken out to remind supporters that footballers are still real people and very much face the same issues away from work as all of us do.
He’s also hailed Dallas for the way he’s continued to play at a high level amid his grief.
“I’m always impressed with Stuart Dallas – he never fails to impress me,” Robinson told MOT Leeds News.
“What you don’t know from the outside is what footballers go through.
“Footballers are human beings. They have a family, they have a life and you have a circle of friends. Footballers are private and you’re not privy to information on what goes on behind closed doors.
“There are a lot of times when footballers play when there are certain things going on in their life that you don’t know about.
“For Dallas to open up about that situation and play the way he has been the last few weeks, is nothing short of extremely brave and courageous.
“For him to turn in the performances he has done without people knowing what’s been going on in his personal life, it’s an extremely brave thing to do.”
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has shared his transfer thoughts on Raphinha ahead of January.