Injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar has said he’d ‘be surprised’ if Leeds United full-back Stuart Dallas returned from injury before the end of the current campaign.

The Lowdown: Three operations

Dallas has now been out of action for 11 months after suffering a serious injury against Manchester City at Elland Road last April. The Northern Irishman suffered a femoral fracture following a collision with Jack Grealish and had surgery in London shortly after.

Since then, the 31-year-old has had two more operations, with the first being to help limit the sensation in his knee and the latest a small clean-up surgery.

Leeds correspondent Phil Hay said at the beginning of the month that ‘it sounds like he’s going in the right direction’ with the aim ‘always to be back before the end of the season’, but it looks as if that may be asking a lot of the versatile fan favourite.

The Latest: Brar’s comments

Brar was talking to MOT Leeds News regarding Dallas and a possible return before the season is out. The injury expert said he had a ‘rare’ injury for footballers and admitted he’d ‘be surprised’ if he returned, claiming it would be a lot to ask.

“He had a rare femoral fracture (rare for footballers) and then a follow-up procedure in January as well to help clean up the area.

“I’d be surprised if he returned this season because he will return to relatively high-intensity games with Leeds looking to avoid the drop and that is a lot to ask for after missing the entire season.”

The Verdict: Right call

Dallas has been a key man for Leeds over a number of years, helping them return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa. He won three honours following the club’s first season back in the top flight, turning out in a number of different positions.

However, it is only a year on from his very serious injury, so it could be the right decision to look to integrate Dallas back into the side in the summer instead of pushing for a return before the end of May.

He may need time to get fully back up to speed, and with Leeds involved in a battle to avoid the drop, placing the pressure on Dallas to perform to the high standards straightaway could be extremely unfair.

Hopefully, we will see Dallas return to the form that made him a regular for Leeds prior to his injury in the Premier League next season, provided the club remain in the top flight.