Stuart Dallas made his return for Leeds United against Blackburn Rovers.
Stuart Dallas has told the Yorkshire Evening Post that Leeds United boss Garry Monk was correct to take him out of the first-team.
Dallas was expected to have a key part to play for Leeds this season, but he made a slow start to the campaign.
The 25-year-old was selected to start in most of Leeds’ first few fixtures, but he failed to show his top form, with his performances looking lethargic.
Dallas was away from Northern Ireland’s squad at Euro 2016 over the summer, and his efforts at the international tournament had clearly taken their toll.
Monk, therefore, took Dallas completely out of first-team contention – to give him a much needed break.
And Dallas has backed his manager’s decision to give him a break, before throwing him back in against Blackburn Rovers in the Whites’ most recent match.
“It [the summer] took a lot out of me but I don’t want to use that as an excuse,” Dallas said. “My performances early doors hadn’t been good enough.
“I’m my own biggest critic and obviously I needed a rest. I worked hard on my match fitness and on my sharpness. You could see towards the end [against Blackburn] that I hadn’t been getting regular game time but the gaffer’s shown a lot of faith by putting me back in.”
Dallas looked much sharper against Blackburn, with his performance helping Leeds pick up a 2-1 victory.
It now seems likely that the former Brentford man will retain his place in Monk’s first team for the foreseeable future.
Leeds are next in action with a match against Cardiff City at the weekend.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
