Luke Ayling breaks silence on Leeds United relegation and reveals if he’s staying at Elland Road | OneFootball

Leeds United defender Luke Ayling has said that his full attention is now on getting the club back to the Premier League following their relegation last weekend.

The club headed into the final day of the Premier League campaign last Sunday inside the bottom three, and following a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, their relegation was confirmed.

A week on, the dust is starting to settle on that relegation, and players and supporters alike are likely starting to look ahead to life in the Championship next season.

Luke Ayling's Leeds United message

One player who had been silent on social media all week, but has now taken time to reflect on the above events, is Luke Ayling.

The 31-year-old has been at Elland Road since 2016, and has played a regular role in recent years as the club won promotion to the Premier League and embraced life in the top flight, finishing 9th in their first season back at that level.

Unfortunately for Leeds, though, their second and third seasons proved more tricky, surviving on the final day in 2021/22 before being unable to repeat that feat this time around.

With club captain Liam Cooper not always in the starting XI for Leeds, Ayling has often skippered the side in recent seasons, too.

Taking to Instagram, then, Ayling addressed the club's supporters, firstly apologising for how things transpired, before quickly turning his focus to next season.

"We let this club down," Ayling wrote on Instagram.

"To the fans I am sorry we couldn’t keep you in the premier league!!

"All my attention now is to make sure we bounce back straight away!

"When we got promoted last time we did it without being able to celebrate with our great fans and now that’s what I look forward to and dream of doing!"

Will Luke Ayling stay at Leeds?

When a club is relegated, it is only natural that a lot of their players will move on.

This could have been the case with Luke Ayling, particularly given the fact that his contract at Elland Road expires next summer.

Luke Ayling recently made his 250th appearance for Leeds United.

However, if the above message is anything to go by, it sounds as though Luke Ayling has confirmed that he is staying at Leeds United.

Indeed, if it truly is his aim to see the club promoted back to the top flight and bounce back right away, his message sounds as though he very much wants to be a part of that.