Leeds United utility man Stuart Dallas has outlined he is more than willing to play in different positions, as he is happy being a part of the team.

Dallas has been used in a variety of positions over his Leeds career, while he is currently in his fifth season at Elland Road. The Northern Ireland international is most naturally suited to a role as a winger but due to his flexibility and his range of skills on a football pitch, he has been utilised in many positions, most notably under Marcelo Bielsa this season.

Already this season, Dallas has operated in four key positions: right-back, left-back, central midfield, and right-wing-back, just demonstrating how versatile and consistent he is for Bielsa.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Dallas had this to say on his current position: “Most of the time with Leeds and Northern Ireland I played as a winger,” he said.

“I’d played in the wing-back role occasionally as well. Under the manager (Bielsa) he’s seen me more as a full-back or wing-back and I’m happy with that.

“If somebody asked me now I would call myself a full-back. I enjoy playing there and it helps when you are playing with good players.

“We’ve got good players here and there is no better manager to learn under than the manager we have here.”

Dallas has been one of the standout players for Leeds this season with many shocked at just how good he has been, despite playing out of position every game.

He started the season covering the injury to Luke Ayling by deputising as a right-back (to great effect), but when Ayling returned there issues on the other side as Barry Douglas and Ezgjan Alioski both suffered setbacks, meaning Dallas had to move across onto his less-favoured left-side, still to great effect.

Also, with injuries and a red card plaguing the squad when they faced Millwall last month, Dallas was forced into a stint in central midfield, again, to great effect.

Dallas had this to say on the constant changing of his position at Elland Road this season: “It does benefit if you have somebody who can play in different positions.

“Sometimes it can work against you because you don’t get stuck in that one position where you can play week in week out and get used to it.

“It’s a big change for me going into central midfield, it’s not somewhere I’ve played before or my strongest position, but if the manager wants me to play there, I will play it to the best of my ability.

“I’m not going to be a world-beater, but I’ll give it a go and if it means playing, that is what it is all about.”

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The Verdict

While Dallas is remaining humble in his own abilities, claiming he is no ‘world-beater’, it has to be said that his versatility is something that is incredibly hard to come by at his level of performance.

There are players who can operate in multiple positions, but very few who play to the same standard in all of them, and that’s very well.

Dallas will most likely be used in some sort of deputy role this weekend when the Whites make the trip to Kenilworth Road to face Luton Town, but he will be grateful that Marcelo Bielsa continues to trust him in whatever position he selects him for.