Daniel Farke says leaving Luke Ayling out of his Leeds United squad last night was one of the toughest decisions he has made.
Leeds returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Swansea City last night but Ayling was forced to watch on from the stands after being left out of the squad completely.
Farke’s squad is almost at full strength with long-term absentee Stuart Dallas the only man currently out, which meant Djed Spence was able to return for the first time since September.
And speaking in his post-match press conference, via Phil Hay, Farke says knowing how much it means to Ayling, leaving him out was a very tough decision.
This is the first time ever in his Leeds career that Ayling has ever found himself in this situation, having almost always been near enough first choice right-back.
Ayling taking on new role
Reflecting on his call to leave Ayling completely out of the matchday squad, Farke believes it is one of, if not the hardest decision he has had to make since being at Elland Road.
“I’ve worked with many good players and had difficult decisions but to leave him out, and knowing what it means to him to be involved, was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made.”
As per Hay, Ayling was in the dressing room before kick-off looking to get everyone going. Farke also claimed he is someone who is always looking to raise the standards in training.
This now looks like the new role Ayling will have to play between now and the end of the season, with arguably three players now ahead of him in his position.
Ayling said after relegation in May that his dream was to win promotion back to the Premier League with May in front of the supporters, and while he still can do that, he may not have as much involvement.
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