Gaetano Berardi and Stuart Dallas’s returns could incentivise out-of-form Leeds United man Luke Ayling.
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa confirmed good news on Monday.
Bielsa, whose side visit QPR on Tuesday, revealed that Gaetano Berardi will be in his match-day squad for the trip to Loftus Road [Leeds Live].
The 30-year-old hasn’t kicked a ball for the Whites since October and, with Stuart Dallas making his return in the win over Bolton on Saturday, the Argentine coach finally has right-back options.
This is good for United, but it could be troubling for a certain Luke Ayling.
The former Bristol City man has endured a very difficult run of form since returning from injury himself earlier this year, with fans of the Elland Road club regularly criticising him on Twitter.
Bielsa defended him earlier this month, calling him a ‘complete player’ [Leeds Live] and he stuck by Ayling in terms of team selections, though he didn’t have much choice.
But the return of Berardi and Dallas means that Ayling really must buck up his ideas because suddenly Bielsa does have options to replace him in the first XI.
In truth, Ayling is a better right-back than both of them when he’s on it and maybe, just maybe, this is the kick up the backside that he has needed.
Suddenly there is a very real risk of being dropped if the 27-year-old under-performs and that could be exactly what he needs.
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