Dallas leg break hits Leeds’ hopes of avoiding the drop

LEEDS UNITED’S Stuart Dallas is facing a long road to recovery after suffering a broken leg against Manchester City that requires immediate surgery. Dallas left the 4-0 defeat by City on a stretcher with significant damage to his kneecap following a high-impact clash with Jack Grealish. The 31-year-old spent Saturday night in Leeds General Infirmary before travelling to London for an operation. Dallas has started every Premier League game this season under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch as Leeds battle for survival. ‘It is impossible to put into words just how important Stuart is to Leeds United on and off the field,’ said the club in a statement. ‘Anyone who knows Stuart knows he will come back from this stronger than ever, and in the meantime he is sure to make his presence known at both Thorp Arch and Elland Road.’ Leeds had been unbeaten in five matches since Marsch’s first game in charge and — despite losing against City — the American insisted the performance gives them belief they can beat the drop. The home supporters stayed for some time after the full-time whistle serenading their team ahead of crucial games against Arsenal and Chelsea. Their season is likely to come down to the final day, when they travel to Brentford. ‘I know it might seem a bit funny but I thought we did really well for long spells,’ said defender Luke Ayling. ‘We’ve got to score some goals and carve out some results but we’ve been on a great run of form. A lot of teams get beaten by City, but we were unbeaten in five before and have picked up 11 points. ‘We’d been playing well so we can’t be down from this result. We were braver on the ball than we’ve been recently, so hopefully we’ll take that into next week.’