Luke Ayling is struggling to deal with Marcelo Bielsa’s demands and could soon be facing the Leeds United axe, according to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Joe Urquhart.
Speaking on the latest edition of the Inside Elland Road podcast (20:17), the correspondent agreed with host Phil Hay that the right-back is in a rut and predicted he may been dropped from the side if he doesn’t perform against Middlesbrough on Saturday.
“Saturday’s game was the most evident it’s been that Ayling was struggling to get into the flow of what Bielsa is demanding from him,” Urquhart said. “Every time he got the ball, he had a couple of extra touches. He seemed to slow everything down and that helped Norwich get back in numbers.
“I don’t see him dropping Ayling this weekend, but there is definitely something going on there. If he continues this form, there is certainly a discussion to be had.”
OPINION
Ayling has started all eight of Leeds’ league fixtures since returning from a knee injury that had sidelined him for nearly two months, but the long-established first choice has a less convincing grip on his place than ever before. Signed in the summer of 2016 from Bristol City, Ayling was one of the team’s outstanding players in Garry Monk’s sole campaign, and, while he was less effective last season, he wasn’t alone among Leeds players in that regard. The 27-year-old started this season on fire, and played some of the best football of his career. But, his recent performances have been ropey verging on woeful. Only Marcelo Bielsa’s innate loyalty to his foot soldiers is probably keeping Ayling from losing his place to the young pretender, Jamie Shackleton. The academy product has the vim and vigour that the more senior man is lacking, and can only now be one bad game from Ayling away from getting a decent run in the side at right-back.