Gary Neville has lauded the ‘absolutely brilliant’ Luke Ayling on Sky Sports PL (03/10/20 at 90min of the game) after he helped Leeds United to a 1-1 draw with Manchester City over the weekend.
In yet another impressive display, Ayling seemingly wowed Neville in the commentary box with his non-stop ‘up and down’ style.
On the opening day of the Premier League season, Ayling had Sadio Mane to deal with and he did the job. And on Saturday, it another speedy winger in Raheem Sterling, and once again, Leeds’ popular man on the right kept the opposition man at bay.
As the clock was ticking down towards the end of the game, Neville shared how Ayling could afford the time to ‘laugh’ given how well he performed.
“Well Ayling, he has been absolutely brilliant,” Neville told Sky Sports. “What a performance. Just sticking at it. Up and down.
Martin Tyler then added: “Luke Ayling has optimised the drive that has got Leeds back into the game when they were ayling in the first half, to be honest, in the first 20 minutes.”
Neville responded: “He’s got time to laugh. It’s good to see. He has played this game like he’s desperate too. Absolutely [making every minute count].”
Leeds United’s first six fixtures of 2020/21
- Liverpool (A)
September 12
- Fulham (H)
September 19
- Sheffield United (A)
September 26
- Manchester City (H)
October 3
- Wolves (H)
October 17
- Aston Villa (A)
October 24
It could be argued that Ayling has perhaps been Leeds United’s best player during these early stages of the season.
Other contenders would be Patrick Bamford, Jack Harrison, Kalvin Phillips, Klich and Stuart Dallas – given that there are a lot to choose from, it just goes to show how well Leeds have started the campaign.
After having to deal with Mane and Sterling in recent matches, after the international break, Ayling will be locking horns with Wolves’ Daniel Podence and a familiar face in Aston Villa’s captain Jack Grealish.
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