Dominic Matteo suggests Leeds’ Stuart Dallas returns to left-back on Friday

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Dominic Matteo has suggested to the Yorkshire Evening Post that he would like to see Stuart Dallas return to left-back for Leeds United’s clash with West Ham on Friday to help shore up the Whites’ defence.

Dallas started the season in the defence after a stunning run last season. However, the Northern Irishman has more recently played in midfield.

That has seen Gjanni Alioski promoted to the starting lineup. And while the North Macedonia international has produced some outstanding performances, his form has been mixed at times.

Matteo claimed that he could see Bielsa moving Dallas back into the back four this week, hinting that that would be a change that he would like to see. And he went on to claim that Rodrigo should be the man to replace Alioski in the side.

“Bielsa might put Dallas back to left-back just to shore things up a little bit because, although Alioski is a good player and so enthusiastic, defensively we have looked very open and, against West Ham, I would like us to be harder to break down,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“If Alioski does drop out and Dallas goes to left-back, then I’d like to see Rodrigo in the team because he has that bit of quality and we’ll need that because, even without fans, it’s so crucial to win your home games,” he went on to add.

TBR View: Rodrigo returning to starting lineup seems overdue

Leeds looked to improve against Chelsea last week after the Spaniard’s introduction.

And while he has not started a game for some time, there have still been a number of moments in recent weeks which have highlighted why the club decided to make the 29-year-old their record signing in the summer.

Admittedly, it should come as no surprise if Bielsa sticks with the team that started on Saturday. Alioski seems to bring an unlimited amount of energy, and Dallas is not playing badly in the middle of the park either.

But you could understand if plenty of Leeds fans agreed with Matteo’s apparent view that bringing Rodrigo back in and moving to Dallas to left-back would be a good call.