Leeds United favourite appears to join exclusive Marcelo Bielsa club as Stuart Dallas takes on new international role
Former Leeds United midfielder Stuart Dallas was spotted among the Northern Ireland coaching staff at Windsor Park on Thursday evening as the national team beat Luxembourg 2-0.
The ex-Elland Road man retired from professional football towards the end of last season after two years out injured. Dallas fractured his femur in a tackle on Jack Grealish during Leeds' Premier League outing with Manchester City in 2022 and spent the ensuing 24 months undergoing multiple surgeries and an extensive rehabilitation programme in an attempt to return to the pitch.
The 33-year-old ultimately took the decision to retire from the playing side of the game as he acknowledged it would not be possible to return to the physical level he once was as a direct result of the injury.
Subsequent to that call, Dallas has spent time as a pundit for the BBC and other outlets but was most recently spotted in Northern Ireland training gear.
National team boss Michael O'Neill has stated previously he is keen to keep Dallas around the group, owing to his experience of having played at a major tournament and at the highest level with Leeds. He and fellow recent retiree Steven Davis were generals for O'Neill and remain well-integrated at Windsor Park.
YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth watched Northern Ireland's UEFA Nations League win over Luxembourg, where Dallas was spotted among O'Neill's support staff.
It is, as yet, unconfirmed whether Dallas has officially joined the coaching team but the ex-Leeds man did allude to remaining within the game in some capacity upon announcing his retirement from the playing side earlier this year and it is one of the options available to him.
If Dallas is to move into coaching, he will become the latest player to have worked under Marcelo Bielsa to pursue a future in the nurturing and development of football's next generation. The Argentine has had a significant impact on the world of coaching, purely through the sheer number and network of former players who have gone on to become managers, many of whom derive aspects of their playing philosophies from the revered boss.