Leeds United winger Stuart Dallas has suggested that he has been frustrated with his lack of game-time over the last few weeks.
The 27-year-old has not started a game for the Whites since December 1 and since then he has spent several weeks on the sidelines with injury before returning to action to only be used as a substitute by Marcelo Bielsa.
Dallas has came off the bench in the last six Championship fixtures, and despite his injury and role as a fringe player, the Northern Ireland international says he is the fittest he has ever been in his career.
“It’s not ideal if you’re coming away here and you’re not playing at club level,” he said, as shown on BBC Sport’s website.
“It’s up to yourself to keep yourself fit, the club will do as much as they can for you.
“I can only speak for myself on my situation at Leeds. If you don’t play on a Saturday, you play for the reserves on a Monday or Tuesday, so you are getting game-time there.
“I haven’t perhaps played as much in previous weeks as I would have liked. It hasn’t been helped by an injury I picked up at the start of December. But I’m fit. I’m probably fitter now than what I’ve ever been.”
OPINION
At the moment it is going to be very hard for Dallas to break into Marcelo Bielsa’s starting line-up. Bielsa has hardly changed his side in the last month and players have returned from injury since Dallas also returned to fitness. Before his injury, the ex-Brentford winger was played at right-back to cover the injured Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling. But Ayling is back at full fitness now and Berardi is also featuring in the first team squad again, so Dallas has little chance of playing there again this term. Dallas can also play on both wings or at left-back if needed and Bielsa has cover in those areas of the pitch too. Kemar Roofe’s injury has boosted Dallas up the pecking order slightly, but there are others who are more likely to start on the wingers than the Northern Irishman, who is hardly the most impressive player at Elland Road.