It's strange to think that up until the latter stages of Marcelo Bielsa's first season at Leeds United, Stuart Dallas was a bit-part player in Leeds' push for promotion. A fractured foot kept him to only just over 1000 minutes in the Championship but he finished the season as the standout player in the play-off semi final loss to Derby County, where he scored twice in the second leg despite Leeds losing.
Since that game, the Ulsterman hasn't looked back and has been almost ever-present in league fixtures. In fact, he has started every single game for almost three seasons. His only absence came at Blackburn late in the 19/20 season as Leeds closed in on automatic promotion.
During that run, the man who turns 31 on Tuesday has played in almost every outfield position at one point or another as Bielsa and now Jesse Marsch found in Dallas the most reliable of performers. During Leeds' comeback season in the Premier League, the 'Cookstown Cafu' cleaned up at the end of season awards, winning both Player of the Season, Players Player of the Season and Goal of the Season. As well as fulfilling whatever tactical role Bielsa asked him to, he had weighed in with eight goals, including a match-winning brace at Manchester City.
