Leeds United will be glad they snubbed Norwich City transfer advances: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Many Leeds United supporters will have been devastated when midfielder Stuart Dallas announced his retirement.

Dallas suffered a serious leg break in the Premier League game against Manchester City in April 2022, sustaining what he described as "irreparable damage" to his knee, and after two years on the sidelines, he was forced to hang up his boots.

The 33-year-old played a crucial role in the Whites' promotion from the Championship under Marcelo Bielsa in the 2019-20 campaign, and he starred over the next two seasons in the top flight.

Dallas established himself as a firm fan favourite at Elland Road, but it could have all been so different had the club sanctioned his departure to Norwich City in the summer of 2017.

, but he instead signed a new three-year deal with the Whites, and they will certainly be glad they did not allow him to leave.

Leeds United will be relieved they kept hold of Stuart Dallas

Dallas joined Leeds from Brentford in August 2015 for a fee in the region of £1.3 million, reuniting with former Bees manager Uwe Rosler, who had been appointed as Neil Redfearn's replacement at Elland Road.

The Northern Ireland international made 49 appearances in all competitions for the Whites in his first season at the club, more than any other player, and after scoring five goals and providing seven assists, he was named Players' Player of the Season.

Dallas remained a regular in the 2016-17 season under Garry Monk as Leeds narrowly missed out on the play-offs, but with his contract running down, there was uncertainty over his future that summer, and Norwich were said to be hopeful of exploiting that situation.

The midfielder instead committed his future to the Whites, and few could have imagined the impact he would make over the following years.

Dallas was always a solid and consistent performer for Leeds, but he was one of many players transformed following Marcelo Bielsa's arrival in June 2018.

Following long-term injuries to Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling, Dallas spent much of the 2018-19 season playing at right-back.

Dallas excelled in an unfamiliar position, playing an integral role as the Whites reached the play-offs, but despite scoring twice in the semi-final second leg against Derby County at Elland Road, the Rams won 4-3 on aggregate to progress to the final.

That disappointment clearly motivated Dallas and his team-mates as they went on to win the Championship title the following season, and after he scored five goals and registered three assists in 46 appearances, he was again voted Players' Player of the Season, winning the award for a second time.

If Dallas impressed during the promotion-winning campaign, he took his game to another level during his first year in the Premier League, netting eight goals and providing two assists in 38 matches.

The highlight of the season came when Dallas scored twice as 10-man Leeds beat Man City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in April 2021, and further accolades followed for the midfielder as he was named the Whites' Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season.

It was a tougher season for Leeds in the 2021-22 campaign, with Bielsa being replaced by Jesse Marsch in February, but despite the managerial change, Dallas remained one of the first names on the team sheet until suffering his career-ending injury against Man City in April.

Despite being unable to play a part on the pitch, Dallas has been an important part of the Leeds dressing room in recent years, and manager Daniel Farke paid an emotional tribute to him after he announced his retirement.

"I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute and say thanks to Stuart. He is an integral part of our group and it was quite emotional for all of us in the last few days," Farke told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"He had some setbacks with his rehab in the last few weeks. Once he announced it, it was quite emotional.

"I am a bit sad that I wasn't allowed to send Stuart onto the pitch. I was really looking forward to working with him because I knew what a fantastic player Stuart was. I was always respectful when I played against him (with Norwich City) and I would have loved to have sent him out in this shirt with his fans.

"I am really grateful and blessed to be one of the managers of Stuart. He was my player and will always be my player in my heart. "I learned more about him as a human being. He's unbelievable how he interacts with the guys and he's still so important for our spirit. "What he has done for this club is so much more than what I have done in the nine-and-a-half months at the club.

"He's a legend of the club and deserves all the praise. He led the club to the highest highs with promotion and a fantastic first season back in the Premier League."

Incidentally, Farke was the manager of Norwich during the time of their reported interest in Dallas in 2017, so the German will be in no doubt about what he could have brought to the team this season.

he says he has considered going into coaching or management.