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Luke Ayling 'wants to retire at Leeds United'

Luke Ayling 'wants to retire at Leeds United'
© Reuters
Luke Ayling admits that he would 'love' to spend the rest of his career at Leeds United, and he also reveals that he has ambitions of going into coaching.

Luke Ayling admits that he would 'love' to spend the rest of his career at Leeds United, and he also revealed that he has ambitions of going into coaching.

The 30-year-old has become a fans favourite at Elland Road since joining the Whites in 2016, and has made a total of 216 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Ayling has less than 15 months remaining on his current contract, but the versatile defender would like to extend his stay as he intends to finish his career with the West Yorkshire club.

"I'd love to spend the rest of my life in Leeds. I love it here," Ayling told the Daily Star.

"I brought my family here and I'd live here for the rest of my life. Ideally I'd love to stay here for the rest of my career, but football is a cut-throat business and who knows what's in the future.

"I might grow old quicker than I think and can't do it anymore and it's time to move on. You have to take it season by season, but the dream would be to stay here for the rest of my career and see it out."

Ayling has also revealed that the influence former manager Marcelo Bielsa had on the club has inspired him to consider coaching when he hangs up his boots.

"I think I'd like to go into coaching," the Englishman added. "I worked under Marcelo for three-and-a-half years, and he makes you think about football differently.

"That's one thing from him, how he approached games differently to any other manager I've known. It feels like there won't be many from our group that wants to go into coaching or management, so I'm one of the few English players to have worked for him that would want to do that. I'd like to give it a go and pass on what I've learned."

Leeds are understood to be confident that Ayling will sign a new contract with the club, potentially extending his stay by at least a further 12 months.

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Written by
Oliver Thomas

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