Leeds United and Northern Ireland wide man Stuart Dallas could be in line for a return to first-team football for Jesse Marsch’s side at Elland Road “coming into early 2023”, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The 31-year-old has been out of action since suffering a femoral fracture injury in a Premier League clash with Manchester City in April.

Leeds injury news – Stuart Dallas

Having made 72 Premier League appearances (via Transfermarkt) since Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League in 2020, Dallas was dealt a cruel blow when the injury suffered against the champions meant a lengthy spell on the sidelines for the versatile wide man.

But an update from the club earlier this month seemed to suggest that the 62-time Northern Ireland international had travelled with Marsch’s squad to their mid-season training camp in Spain, with Patrick Bamford, Junior Firpo, Ilan Meslier and Kristoffer Klaesson all missing the camp through various injuries and viruses.

This is further backed up by a report from LeedsLive which says that despite not being back in full training, the American head coach has maintained that Dallas would travel to Spain with the camp this month.

And Dinnery believes that a period playing for the U21’s is likely to lie ahead for the former Brentford man, before a potential return in the early stages of 2023.

What has Dinnery said about Leeds and Dallas?

Dinnery told GiveMeSport: “The end of December, maybe coming into early 2023 is realistic for a Dallas return.

“It could be that he makes some appearances for the U21 side first, to try and transition from training into eventually moving back into the first team.”

How much will Dallas’ return boost Leeds?

Dallas has been a huge miss for Leeds since the beginning of his lay-off at the end of last season, with the Whites star playing at both full-back slots, further forward as a wide midfielder, and in the centre of the park during his time as a Premier League player, according to Transfermarkt.

In that time, he has provided nine goals and three assists, which could be considered a solid output for someone mainly considered a defensive-minded player.

The Cookstown-born player earned himself a solid average Sofascore rating of 6.90 for his performances in the Premier League last season, suggesting that he is capable of performing on a consistently solid basis for the Elland Road outfit.

And as a right-back or left-back, he has been vital in a defensive sense to both former manager Marcelo Bielsa and current manager Marsch, as shown by the fact he ranks in the top 1% of full-backs across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for interceptions per 90 minutes (1.99), the top 4% for tackles per 90 (3.12) and the top 7% for blocks per 90 (1.61) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.

Therefore, Marsch will be hoping that he sees some signs of progress from Dallas in the club’s mid-season training camp, with the full-back likely to give the squad a boost on his potential return in the new year.