Leeds United should have perfect promotion motivation after Dallas news: View | OneFootball

Leeds United have had a fairly good few seasons when compared to the rest of the 2000s.

The Whites were finally promoted back to the Premier League in 2020 after 16 years away, having spent the majority of the time being a mid-table Championship team, with a few years in League One sprinkled in there too.

After three seasons in the top flight, they were relegated back to the Championship last season along with Leicester City and Southampton.

This season, though, they are right in the thick of a battle for automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Many of the players who got promoted with Leeds in 2020 have left, but one of the players who remained is the injured Stuart Dallas.

Dallas announced on Wednesday afternoon his retirement from football at the age of 32.

The former Northern Ireland international has not played a minute of football since April 2022, as he has been trying to recover from a femoral fracture that he suffered in a game against Manchester City.

Unfortunately, the injury has taken its toll and Dallas has now had to retire from playing.

He had been at Leeds since the summer of 2015, arriving from Brentford. In total, he went on to make over 250 appearances for the Whites.

The club said: "It goes without saying, Stuart is an icon of Leeds United and will always be welcome at Elland Road, his contribution will live long in the memory and he has cemented his place in history.

"We are currently in discussions with Stuart about a future role, to continue his association with the club going forwards."

Dallas retiring gives Leeds extra motivation

With Dallas retiring, it gives the Leeds players the perfect chase to see a club legend off by achieving promotion back to the Premier League.

Leeds have been in an intense battle to finish in the top two for the entire campaign, with Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich Town. Southampton’s form has dipped in recent weeks, with it seemingly now between Leeds and the other two for first and second.

As it stands, Leeds are currently in third and are on 87 points, Ipswich are in second and Leicester are first, with both of those two teams each on 88 points - Leicester top on goal difference. Leicester also have a game in hand, against Southampton.

A draw against Sunderland on Tuesday night and a loss to Coventry City on Saturday meant that Leeds have failed to capitalise on the other two teams also dropping points, with Ipswich losing to Norwich City and drawing with Watford, whilst Leicester lost to Millwall on Tuesday night.

With four games to play, it is still all to play for.

With the team dropping in form lately, the players can now use Dallas’ retirement as the extra motivation to get themselves over the finish line.

Dallas proved to be an extremely dependable option under Marcelo Bielsa when they were last promoted, being a key part of that promotion-winning team; he led the way in 2019/20 and will be encouraging others to do the same in the remaining four games.

The Leeds players can try and emulate their former teammate in their performances over the next four games, in the hopes of once again reaching the promised land. That would be a real way to put some shine on such a heartbreaking end to Dallas' career.