Leeds United star Luke Ayling could be forced to change his position to prolong his Elland Road stay
Leeds United star Luke Ayling could be forced to become a centre-back if he is to prolong his stay at Elland Road, according to Keifer MacDonald.
The Leeds Live writer claims that now the right-back is 30, he might start to struggle to keep up with Marcelo Bielsa’s style of play in his current position.
Therefore, a switch into the middle permanently is something he might be forced to do if he is to stay with the Whites for a lot longer.
Ayling to become a centre-back?
This wouldn’t be an unnatural move for Ayling, who played centre-back quite a lot last season due to various injuries suffered by Leeds’ other centre-backs.
However, he is naturally a right-back and has become an essential player under Marcelo Bielsa.
Of the 144 games that the Argentine has managed as the Whites boss, Ayling has played in 122 of them, which just shows how important he is to Bielsa.
However, with his contract set to expire in under two years, could the Whites look to cash in on the former Arsenal academy player?
Well, it is possible in the future, but we can’t really see a move permanently into the centre instead.
We don’t know when this would happen, but we would say that if the Whites were to sign a new right-back, Ayling would probably drop down the pecking order naturally.
We hope he doesn’t leave as he is a fans’ favourite and is a big part of that dressing room, so let’s continue enjoying his relentless performances at Elland Road.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay predicts which player could be next to leave after Helder Costa.