Stephen Warnock has praised Leeds United defender Luke Ayling on Twitter.
The former Leeds defender was impressed by the display produced by Ayling during the Whites’ 3-0 win against Aston Villa away from home at Villa Park in the Premier League on Friday evening.
The 29-year-old was deployed in central defence by Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa, and the former Arsenal prospect gave a very strong performance.
Patrick Bamford was the star of the show for the visiting team, as the English striker scored all three goals.
While Warnock was impressed by the display produced by Bamford, he has reserved special praise for Ayling and has named him as the most improved player he has seen and played again.
Some incredible football last night. @Patrick_Bamford grabbed the headlines but my standout player was @lukeayling_8 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 play him anywhere, most improved player I’ve seen and played against. https://t.co/gg7ox9IdXU
— Stephen Warnock⚽️📺🎙 (@StephenWarnock3) October 24, 2020
How did Luke Ayling play against Aston Villa?
Ayling was brilliant at the back and kept the Villa attackers at bay, as Leeds continued their fine start to the season.
The 29-year-old made a fantastic goal-line clearance to deny Villa attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
The defender was calm and composed on the ball, and the way he marshalled the backline and made the right decisions made it seem that he has been playing in that position for years.
According to WhoScored, against the Villans on Friday evening, Ayling played one key pass, had a pass accuracy of 77.1%, won four headers, took 58 touches, and made one tackle and one clearance.
Luke Ayling Stats
So far this season, Ayling has played six games in the Premier League for Leeds, according to WhoScored.
During the 2019-20 campaign, the defender made 35 starts and two substitute appearances in the Championship for the West Yorkshire outfit, scoring four goals and providing four assists in the process, according to WhoScored.
Back in 2018-19, the 29-year-old scored two goals and gave six assists in 40 Championship games for Leeds, according to WhoScored.
