It was a big day for Leeds United defender Luke Ayling yesterday, as he made his first start in just over four months as the Yorkshire club comfortably beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0 to end their season on a high.
Ayling has been a big miss for Leeds United since picking up his ankle injury, but his start yesterday was something that he had been looking forward to for a long time.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the defender said: “I didn’t expect to get 90 minutes, but I was really pleased to get that under my belt, it has been a long four months. I’ve been running for a month and training for the last two, the staff at Thorp Arch have done really well with my ankle and I just went out and played my normal game.”
“It was my first game in four months, so I wasn’t holding back on anything, there were a few crunching tackles and I really enjoyed myself out there.”
Leeds United have had a disappointing season this time round, after finishing just outside the Play-Offs in the 2016/17 campaign, but Luke Ayling has already got his eye on next season.
“We’re back at the end of June and I’m looking forward to getting back into it, so I can start next season sharp,” he said.
Despite the poor form throughout the season, the Elland Road faithful have stuck by their team, and the Leeds defender was quick to acknowledge that.
“The fans this year have been unreal,” he said.
“When things have gone bad this year, the fans have stayed with us and stepped it up from the first year, they have been unbelievable.”
