The Athletic reporter Phil Hay has provided an injury update on Leeds United defender Stuart Dallas ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
The 31-year-old was forced off deep into first-half stoppage time against Manchester City at the end of April after challenging Jack Grealish for the ball.
It emerged that he suffered a fractured femur, and Hay has previously stated that the Northern Ireland international will be fortunate to return before Christmas.
Leeds had said Dallas faced a ‘lengthy period‘ out, while there were fears that it could be at least six months before he returned to first-team action.
Over the past two seasons since Leeds gained promotion, the Northern Irish defender hadn’t missed a single Premier League game until his injury, becoming a pivotal figure for the Whites, scoring nine goals and providing three assists in 72 appearances.
According to Hay, Dallas may not return to action until the turn of the year, whilst also providing an update on Luke Ayling – another key performer for Leeds nursing an injury.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Phil Hay Show about the reasons behind Leeds’ recent acquisition of Rasmus Kristensen, he said: “Part of the reason they’ve gone for him is because clearly, Dallas is injured at the moment recovering from his fractured femur, and won’t be available until probably the turn of the year.
TIF Thoughts on Dallas’ injury…
Dallas is the ultimate utility man. Last season, he operated in both full-back positions, defensive midfield, central midfield and on the left wing.
The £53k-per-week stalwart had started all 34 of Leeds’ Premier League matches before suffering the nasty injury, along with all but one league game in the preceding two campaigns, so his importance to the team is clear.
The fact that Marsch will be without a respected, reliable and experienced performer to kick off the new campaign would have come as a huge blow to the American coach, so bringing in Kristensen certainly seems to have been a wise decision.
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