Leeds United are unlikely to turn to Stuart Dallas to fill in at left-back if Barry Douglas is ruled out of Saturday’s Championship clash against Brentford, according to Phil Hay.
The Yorkshire Evening Post correspondent reported on his personal Twitter account on Wednesday that Dallas, 27, is not expected to fill the void if Douglas joins the mounting injury list for the Elland Road showdown this weekend.
The left-back limped out of Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Hull with eight minutes remaining with what Marcelo Bielsa subsequently claimed is a pulled muscle.
Dallas replaced Douglas on the left side of defence at the KCOM Stadium but Hay does not expect the Northern Ireland international to start in that position against Brentford.
obviously Dallas is an option too but Bielsa said last night that Dallas is better suited to the right hand side and felt Leeds lost their balance in the last 10 mins.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) October 3, 2018
OPINION
With four key Leeds players already on the injury list – Pablo Hernandez, Kemar Roofe, Gaetano Berardi and long-term absentee Patrick Bamford – and ruled out until January at least, the problems are piling up for Bielsa. He has kept United at the Championship summit, albeit on goal difference, between the two international breaks but it is virtually impossible for the team to continue to play in the same aggressive vein and churn out wins without half a team of senior players. Douglas is certainly a vital member of the team. The £3million summer signing from Wolves has started all 11 of the club’s Championship matches this season and provided experience and quality from the left flank. His absence would leave a massive void, which is likely to be filled by rookie Tom Pearce, an unused substitute on Tuesday night but a player in whom the club have high hopes.