Former Leeds United defender Luke Ayling had a tough time accepting his fate at the end of his Whites career. The Middlesbrough defender was seemingly “hurt” after he departed from Elland Road.
Ayling has been the fan favourite since his arrival at Leeds United. He was a major part of The Whites’ Premier League squad during their time in the top flight.
The 33-year-old also played an instrumental role in helping The 49ers move up the ladder after a daunting 16 years away from the English first division.
However, Ayling’s career followed the same trajectory as Leeds United’s success. After the relegation, he couldn’t earn a spot under current gaffer Daniel Farke and hence was sent out on loan at Middlesbrough.
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Luke Ayling was seemingly “hurt” after departure from West Yorkshire
Luke Ayling has settled well at the Riverside Stadium (Credits: Imago Images)
A good spell at the Riverside Stadium followed and Luke Ayling became a key player under Michael Carrick. However, looking back he couldn’t hide his feelings regarding his departure.
“Leaving Leeds hurt then, and to leave the boys I’d spent five, six, seven years with certainly hurt. I found it tough to leave at the time that I did”, Ayling said.
“I still felt like I could help the team and get them to where they wanted to go. But it all came down to myself wanting to play football. It was either stay there for six months, sit on the bench or even not make the squad, or get out and play some football.” Luke told the My Mate’s a Footballer podcast.
Even after this, the English defender moved on and is now enjoying life in North Yorkshire. Boro manager Michael Carrick was a major player in the deal who persuaded Ayling to try out life up North.
“I’ve been given a home at Boro and I’m really enjoying it. To have Michael say he really wants me to come to the club and put my mark on things, it was just nice.”
Luke Ayling’s Leeds United career
Luke Ayling had an extraordinary career at Leeds United (Credits: Imago Images)
Ayling had a star-studded career at Elland Road and the Englishman has become kind of a cult icon in Yorkshire. He first joined The 49ers in 2016 and spent seven and a half seasons playing for The Whites.
The Englishman has garnered 268 appearances for Leeds United playing a major role in the club’s historic rise to the Premier League. His last match for The 49ers came against Peterborough United in a FA Cup Third Round match.
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