The Leeds United defender was being a bit cheeky last weekend
Lee Johnson has admitted that he can only respect the ‘sneaky nature’ of Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling.
Leeds beat Johnson’s Bristol City 1-0 at Elland Road last Saturday and it was Ayling who did the damage by scoring the winner against his former club.
When the ball went out of play, one Whites supporter caught footage on their phone of the 28-year-old defender trying to gain a tactical advantage by listening in while the Robins boss gave some mid-game instructions to his players.
He told The Bristol Post: “I was smiling as I did it. He’s a great lad, first and foremost. And obviously he’s done really well and he was probably the main man in that game the way he played.
“Part of me wanted to – with my player’s head on – tread on his toes, two foot him, give him a cuddle and pinch him under the arms at the same time.
“But part of me also respected his sneaky nature, listening to what I had to say.”
Ayling is a popular figure in and around the Leeds squad for his sense of humour and it’s likely that this was simply a bit of banter.
And Johnson knows his character after working with him at Ashton Gate, so it’s nice to see that it wasn’t received poorly.
On a footballing level, the former Arsenal right-back was a constant thorn on Johnson’s side and he’ll hope to cause Reading problems on Saturday when the Royals visit Elland Road.
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