Luke Ayling informed Sky Sports activities what the danger to stand “some of the biggest” in Cristiano Ronaldo will imply as Leeds host outdated competitors Guy Utd on Tremendous Sunday.
Elland Highway will host Manchester United in a top-flight conflict in entrance of enthusiasts for the primary time in virtually 20 years when Ralf Rangnick’s aspect take to the sector on Sunday, live to tell the tale Sky Sports activities Premier League, despite the fact that Ayling has greater than sufficient enjoy of going through considered one of Leeds’ oldest foes already.
The proper-back was once at the scoresheet to carry Leeds degree at Outdated Trafford at the opening day of this season, sooner than the hosts hit again to expire 5-1 winners and stun Marcelo Bielsa’s aspect. That set the tone for what has been a hard marketing campaign for the Whites, who’ve by no means been above fifteenth and controlled back-to-back wins best as soon as.
Ronaldo had no longer finished his go back to United by the point of that sport, and Ayling informed Sky Sports activities he was once embracing the possibility of going through the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“He is some of the biggest gamers to ever play the sport; after all it is nice to be at the similar pitch as somebody like that,” he mentioned.
“Everybody’s watched him for years, it will be great to get at the similar pitch as him and with a bit of luck do neatly towards him.
“The sport at Outdated Trafford was once a peculiar one. We felt like we stayed in it first part, stayed alright, went in at 1-0 down and were given it again to 1-1, then there was once only a mad 5 mins the place they scored 3 objectives and it was once 4-1 sooner than we knew it.
“We take numerous center from what we did towards them at our position, I believed we did actually neatly, and were given a 0-0 draw, we coped with them actually neatly.
“We knew the second one yr of being within the Premier League can be tricky. We have been nonetheless driving the wave of promotion the primary yr, we began neatly, and it roughly simply carried on. However going into the second one season, you’ve gotten noticed it a variety of instances sooner than, you recognize it will be a tough season.
“It hasn’t helped that we’ve got had such a lot of accidents alongside the way in which, and it appears like after we get two or 3 again, then 4 get injured. It is been a difficult season like that, however we stay plugging away and seeking to get issues to climb the desk.”
There may be hardly ever a lot love misplaced when Leeds and Guy Utd face one any other, with a contention stretching again to the Sixties appearing no signal of loss of life down just about six many years on.
Even with out enthusiasts there to stoke the strain when the 2 facets met at Elland Highway final season, the importance of Sunday’s sport has no longer been misplaced on Ayling – and the 30-year-old says his team-mates are simply as acutely aware of its significance to the membership’s beef up, possibly extra so given their pandemic-enforced absence.
“We all know what a large sport it’s for the enthusiasts,” he mentioned. “They have waited 17 years to get again into the bottom to look this sport, we performed Guy Utd final yr with out them right here – the gamers will probably be rocking on Sunday, it is the one sport I do know they have been humming for.
“I feel it offers the entire town, the entire membership a boost [to win] and after the fit final weekend, it is a excellent sport for us to head in as a result of we all know the group’s going to be at the back of us, 100 consistent with cent. Where goes to be rocking, and it is a nice probability for us.”
Watch the entire interview with Leeds United’s Luke Ayling on Tremendous Sunday Matchday on Sky Sports activities Information from 10am on Sunday, and catch Leeds vs Guy Utd live to tell the tale Sky Sports activities Premier League from 1pm, kick-off 2pm.