Stuart Dallas has been working extremely hard in his recovery in order to get himself back fit for Leeds United.
That is according to Phil Hay, who was speaking on the latest episode of the Square Ball Podcast, where the topic of Dallas‘ injury was discussed following his tweet earlier this week.
Dallas responded to a Leeds supporter on Twitter who had claimed rumours were circulating that the 32-year-old would never be able to play again, to which he simply said was ‘fake news’.
The Northern Irishman is coming up to 18 months on the sidelines at Elland Road having suffered a fractured femur in a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in April 2022.
Due to the impact needed to fracture that particular bone, it is an injury that is incredibly rare in football, which is clearly reflected on how long it is taking for him to recover.
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Hay says Dallas working extremely hard to return
As per Hay, Dallas remains absolutely determined to get himself back to full fitness and behind-the-scenes, has been told that he is ‘cracking the whip’ in order to do so.
“You’d also need to be very careful not to damage it again, there’s surely only so many times before it gives you problems outside of sport. I noticed the tweet him replying to that, I think he’s still very much got it in his head that he wants to get himself back and from what I am told, has been cracking the whip to try get to that point.”
It would be great if one day Dallas was able to return to the field in a Leeds shirt but at the same time, it is important to acknowledge he is unlikely to ever return to the level he once was.
The nature of the injury, coupled with how long he has/will spend on the sidelines is going to make it difficult for him, but it is a testament to his character that his determination remains intact.
Dallas is out of contract at Leeds next season and it should be considered a success if he can get on the pitch within that timeframe. It would be even better if he could play some sort of role in another promotion campaign.