Does the Leeds United star need a little bit more time off?
Leeds United’s first team reported for training for the first time under new head coach Thomas Christiansen on Monday.
Talented midfielder Ronaldo Vieira was among those present at Thorp Arch, but should Christian give him some more time off?
It has only been 15 days since the 18-year-old scored the winning penalty as England won the Toulon Tournament in France.
And the Danish coach should consider giving him a little bit more of a break after what happened to Stuart Dallas last season.
The Northern Ireland winger was below his best for most of the 2016-17 campaign in a struggle which he attributes to not having enough time off after Euro 2016.
He told The Yorkshire Evening Post in January: “The Euros took a bit out of me. I didn’t really have a rest and I wasn’t my usual self. I had a conversation with the manager [ex-Leeds boss Garry Monk] and he did what was best for me at the time.
“I came back in, was doing okay but then I got injured in one of the qualifiers. It wasn’t ideal.”
Dallas, who played 315 minutes of football at the Euros, eight minutes less than Vieira did this summer, had some 21 days between Northern Ireland’s elimination and his return to first-team training with Leeds. Vieira has had 15 days.
The 26-year-old did rack up a thousand minutes of Championship football in the 2015-16 campaign more than Vieira did last season, but it is still quite a dangerous game that Christiansen is playing by recalling him this early.
It will be a big season for the teenager as he looks to kick on after a fine breakthrough campaign last time around, and the Leeds boss should ensure that his best players are in peak condition.
The amount of time you’re given off during a hectic summer can affect your entire season. Just ask Dallas.
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