Leeds United should ‘never be without’ Luke Ayling, has survived ‘beginning of the end’ at Elland Road, says writer
Luke Ayling has survived the “beginning of the end” of his time at Leeds United, a player the club should “never be without”, according to freelance writer Jon Howe.
Ayling received a red card against Arsenal towards the end of last season for a reckless challenge, which saw him miss the last three matches of the campaign through suspension.
Leeds managed to avoid relegation in his absence, with Howe having believed that the defender’s time at Elland Road was then coming to an end.
“I was at Arsenal last season when Ayling was sent off for a rash challenge in the opening minutes and played no further part in a season that looked like it was running into a sandbank at full speed,” Howe wrote in his latest column on the official Leeds website.
“I’ve never watched a TV replay of the incident because it felt at the time like it could be the last act of Luke Ayling as a Leeds United player, and I wasn’t ready for that. I wasn’t ready for it in any circumstances, and particularly not those. Regardless of survival last season, Bill’s indifferent form and the signing of Rasmus Kristensen in the summer still pointed towards the beginning of the end.
“And Luke Ayling has never felt like a ‘bit part’ player at Leeds United. Somehow, like the ravens flying away from the Tower of London, Leeds United should probably never be without him.”
Back in favour
Ayling’s silly challenge against the Gunners was widely criticised, with many noting that the captain had really let his teammates down in their fight for Premier League survival.
The reckless tackle, which was shortly followed by Leeds bringing in fellow right-back Kristensen from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer, led to many believing that Ayling was heading for the exit door.
That looked increasingly likely as Kristensen was favoured at right-back early on, but Ayling has fought back to not only regain his spot in the starting XI, but also the captain’s armband.
He has now played 90 minutes in each of the club’s last 11 league matches, netting his first goal of the season in the recent 4-2 win at Wolves.
The Leeds full-back has seemingly learned from his rash decision at Arsenal to earn the trust of whoever has been in the dugout at Elland Road in recent months.
In other Leeds United news, one Whites player is currently being assessed after an injury suffered while on international duty.