Noel Whelan lauds Stuart Dallas after Leeds’ win over Birmingham

Follow us on Google Discover

Stuart Dallas came off the bench to seal Leeds United’s win over Birmingham City on Tuesday night.

Noel Whelan has told BBC Radio Leeds that he was delighted to see Stuart Dallas seal Leeds’ win over Birmingham on Tuesday night given the professionalism he has shown during his time at Elland Road.

Dallas has gone through a mixed spell during his time with the Whites, shining during his first season before enduring a slightly more underwhelming second campaign.

However, while he remains slightly closer to the periphery of the squad – having not started a single Championship game this season – he has made a much greater impact, scoring twice already to equal last season’s tally in the league.

And speaking after Dallas scored Leeds’ second in their victory over the Blues earlier this week, Whelan suggested that the Northern Ireland international deserved to grab a share of the headlines for his contribution this term.

“He’s a true professional. Yes, he probably wants to be playing the game, he wants to be starting for Leeds United but it shows what great characters and great personnel we have within our squad now that there’s nobody whinging, there’s nobody spitting the dummy out,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.

“They’re all willing to wait, bide their time, play for the team and play for the club, play for the manager and do the right thing which is be a squad player because it’s not about the first XI, it’s about the 22.

“I’m so glad he got the goal, he’s an international player, it’s great to have internationals on the bench and that sort of quality to bring on and that’s what they can do in these latter stages, when people are absolutely shattered, he comes on and produces that bit of quality and kills the game off.”

As Whelan suggests, being able to bring an international who boasts a vast amount of Championship experience on during a game is a luxury for Thomas Christiansen, and should certainly boost Leeds’ chances of building upon their promising start to the campaign.