Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has backed Northern Ireland man Stuart Dallas to step into the void left by Jamie Shackleton.

The youngster is ruled out this weekend through injury as the Whites make the trip to managerless Millwall, but Whelan believes that Dallas can once again deputise, and do so with aplomb.

“I think what’s going to happen is Luke Ayling is going to come into the right-back position and Stuart Dallas is going to go into that central area. That’s probably going to happen because it happened at the end of the game, that gave us a little insight as to what’s going to happen at Millwall." Whelan told Football Insider.

“When you look at the way Shackleton plays, I think Dallas can do pretty much the same thing. Loads of energy can get up and down from box-to-box, loves to get forward and his overall football, he’s looking fantastic.”

Dallas played in numerous positions throughout last season for Leeds as they narrowly missed out on promotion, with the former Brentford man often stepping in at full-back as Marcelo Bielsa made use of his versatility.

This week saw the Whites run out 1-0 winners against promotion contenders West Brom, in a game where youngster Shackleton had caught the eye with his performance.

They travel to Millwall this weekend hoping to make the most of the Lions have parted ways with manager Neil Harris.

The Verdict

Whelan is probably spot on here but with team news just around the corner, we will wait and see.

Dallas is a top pro and can play anywhere, which is why Marcelo Bielsa values him so much.

Wherever he steps onto the field, he will always deliver and give 100%. He's the ideal man to step in, especially at a place like Millwall.