It is now almost five months since Leeds United legend Stuart Dallas announced his retirement from football.

Dallas had spent almost two years on the sidelines after suffering a femur fracture back in April 2022 during a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City at Elland Road.

He tried everything in his attempts to get back out on the pitch, including multiple surgeries and even a couple of returns to full team training.

However, unfortunately for Dallas, he was never able to fully recover enough to return to action and so instead opted to call time on his playing career just a couple of months before the end of his contract at Leeds.

Dallas remained a huge part of the dressing room at Leeds even when he wasn’t playing, helping Wilfried Gnonto get back on track after his transfer request, as well as Archie Gray when he spent much of the 2022/23 season injured.

The new role Dallas looks to be in after Leeds retirement

Following the decision to hang up his boosts, Daniel Farke confirmed he wanted Dallas to still be at Leeds in some capacity this season.

At that point, it was not decided what sort of role that could be, though some sort of ambassadorial or coaching position seemed the most likely.

However, while that has remained undecided, Dallas has been doing a couple of different things within the game, including some punditry for Sky Sports.

Dallas was in the studio for Leeds’ 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion, but according to Yorkshire Evening Post writer Graham Smyth, it looks as though he has landed another.

Smyth was in attendance at Windsor Park on Thursday night as Northern Ireland defeated Luxembourg 2-0 and claimed Dallas was actually part of the coaching setup for the home side.

Dallas was, of course, capped on 62 occasions by his country and so perhaps it is no surprise he is helping out manager Michael O’Neill, who the vast majority of his appearances came under.

Dallas deserves a role at Leeds

Being in the coaching setup for Northern Ireland would suggest that is the avenue in which Dallas is looking to go down post-retirement.

With that in mind, Leeds should certainly look at handing him a similar role at Elland Road, with one in the academy a good starting point.

There would not be a better role model for young players hoping to make it at Leeds to look up to than Dallas, which is a good starting point in itself.

His time under Marcelo Bielsa should also stand him in good stead given how much he is revered by other coaches and managers across football.

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