Journalist Jon Howe has said that Leeds United should never be without long-serving defender Luke Ayling who has seen it all at the club.
Ayling has been a Leeds player since 2016, making 243 appearances for the Elland Road side and Howe believed that the conclusion of last season could have spelled the end for Ayling’s Leeds career.
“I was at Arsenal last season when Ayling was sent off for a rash challenge in the opening minutes and played no further part in a season that looked like it was running into a sandbank at full speed,” Howe said in his latest column on the official Leeds website.
“I’ve never watched a TV replay of the incident because it felt at the time like it could be the last act of Luke Ayling as a Leeds United player, and I wasn’t ready for that. I wasn’t ready for it under any circumstances, particularly not those.
“And Luke Ayling has never felt like a ‘bit part’ player at Leeds United. Somehow, like the ravens flying away from the Tower of London, Leeds United should probably never be without him.”
Leeds’ vice-captain Ayling has led the side seven times this season in the absence of club captain Liam Cooper and Whites fans will hope he continues to represent their club for a long time.